GCSE Dance Course Content - What You Will Learn/Develop

GCSE Dance Course Content - What You Will Learn/Develop Component 1 - Performance & Choreography (60%)

Knowledge, understanding and skills for performance (30%)

Physical skills and attributes, including: • posture Expressive skills, including: • alignment • projection • balance • focus • coordination • spatial awareness • control • facial expression • flexibility • phrasing. • mobility For duet/trio performance only: • strength • musicality • stamina • sensitivity to other dancers • extension • communication of choreographic intent, including • isolation mood(s), meaning(s), idea(s), theme(s) and/or style/style fusion(s). Technical skills, including: • action content (eg travel, turn, elevation, gesture, Mental skills and attributes (during performance), stillness, use of different body parts, floor work, transfer including: of weight) • movement memory • dynamic content (eg fast/slow, sudden/ sustained, • commitment acceleration/deceleration, strong/ light, direct/indirect, • concentration flowing/abrupt) • confidence. • spatial content (eg pathways, levels, directions, size of movement, patterns, spatial design) Safe working practices (during performance), including: • relationship content - for duet/trio performance only • safe execution (eg lead and follow, mirroring, action and reaction, • appropriate dancewear, including: accumulation, complement and contrast, counterpoint, • footwear contact, formations) • hairstyle • timing content • absence of jewellery. • rhythmic content • movement in a stylistically accurate way. Mental skills and attributes (process), including: • systematic repetition • mental rehearsal • rehearsal discipline • planning of rehearsal • response to feedback • capacity to improve.

Safe working practices (process), including: • warming up • cooling down • nutrition • hydration.

Knowledge, understanding and skills for choreography (30%) Action content, including: Structuring devices and form, including: • travel • binary • turn • ternary • elevation • rondo • gesture • narrative • stillness • episodic • use of different body parts • beginning/middle/end • floor work • unity • transfer of weight. • logical sequence • transitions. Dynamic content, including: • fast/slow Choreographic devices, including: • sudden/sustained • motif and development • acceleration/deceleration • repetition • strong/light • contrast • direct/indirect • highlights • flowing/abrupt. • climax • manipulation of number Spatial content, including: • unison and canon. • pathways • levels Aural settings (and how they affect choreographic • directions outcomes), including: • size of movement Aural settings: • patterns • song • spatial design. • instrumental • orchestral Relationship content, including: • spoken word • lead and follow • silence • mirroring • natural sound • action and reaction • found sound • accumulation • body percussion. • complement and contrast Effects on choreographic outcomes: • counterpoint • mood and atmosphere • contact • contrast and variety • formations. • structure • relationship to theme/idea Choreographic processes, including: • researching Performance environments, including: • improvising • proscenium arch • generating • end stage • selecting • site-sensitive (ie designed for non-theatre spaces) • developing • in-the-round. • structuring • refining and synthesising. Communication of choreographic intent, including: • mood(s) • meaning(s) • idea(s) • theme(s) • style/style fusion(s). Component 2 - Critical Appreciation (40%)

Knowledge and understanding of critical appreciation of own work (15 %)

Performance Choreography • the meaning of the relevant performance • the meaning of relevant choreography terminology terminology in 3.1 Performance (page 11) in 3.2 Choreography (page 15) • the contribution of performance to audience • the contribution of choreography to audience understanding of the choreographic intent of the work understanding of the choreographic intent of the work being performed including the mood(s), meaning(s), including the mood(s), meaning(s), idea(s), theme(s) idea(s), theme(s) and/or style/style fusion(s). and/or style/style fusion(s).

Knowledge and understanding for critical appreciation of professional set works (25%)

Features of production, including: Performance environments, including: • staging/set eg projection, furniture, structures, • proscenium arch backdrop, screens and features of these such as colour, • end stage texture, shape, decoration, materials • site-sensitive • lighting eg colour, placement, direction, angles etc • in-the-round. • properties eg size, shape, materials, how used etc • costume (including footwear, masks, makeup and Choreographic approaches accessories): features such as colour, texture, material, As exemplified in the interview with each flow, shape, line, weight, decoration and how they choreographer. define character or gender, identify dancers, enhance or sculpt the body and enhance the action Choreographic content, including: • dancers (number, gender) • movement content (actions, dynamics, space and • aural settings eg song, instrumental, orchestral, relationships) as per the knowledge, skills and spoken word, silence, natural sound, found sound, body understanding for choreography specified in percussion, style, structure and musical elements such Choreography (page 15) as tone, pitch and rhythm • structuring devices and form (binary, ternary, rondo, • dance for camera eg placement, angle, proximity, narrative, episodic, beginning/middle/ end, unity, logical special effects. sequence, transitions) • choreographic devices (motif and development, repetition, contrast, highlights, climax, manipulation of number, unison and canon).

Choreographic intent, including: • mood(s) • meaning(s) • idea(s) • theme(s) • style/style fusion(s).