In Years 7, 8 and 9 students receive 1 hour a fortnight of Dance/Drama. During Years 7 and 8 students will explore a range of themes which provide opportunities for Dance and Drama skills to be combined into 3 units of work.
In Year 9 students will be taught specialised techniques and skills which will prepare them for the requirements of Dance and Drama GCSE courses.
Dance Overview
Dance at KS3 focuses on three main elements; performance, composition and appreciation. Students work collaboratively in order to develop team building skills and communication, leading to working together to create movement material which they will perform to an audience.
They will also learn to:
-develop technical and expressive skills in a range of styles.
-devise movement material using a rage of actions, space, relationships and dynamics
-Appreciate professional dance works and composition work of their own and their peers.
Drama Overview
During their drama lessons students will explore voice, movement, gesture and facial expression, and learn how to make meaning clear for themselves, and for an audience. They will also learn to:
-Use language and actions to explore and convey situations, characters and emotions
- Create and sustain roles when working individually and with others
-Devise, write and perform short scripts
Summary of Dance/Drama units of work
Autumn
-Performance and expressive skills
-Pantomime
-Into the Woods-Dramatic role play
-Comedy performances through mime
-Physical Theatre
-Script reading and characterisation
Spring
Musical Theatre
Bugsy Malone
Focus: narrative & character dancing
Musical Theatre
Bugsy Malone
Focus: characterisation and performance skills
Musical Theatre
Bugsy Malone
Focus: performance skills
Summer
African Storytelling and Dance
Arts Award leadership project
Stage Combat- The Hunger Games
Arts Award leadership Project
Contemporary Dance
“Hush” Christopher Bruce
Arts Award leadership project
Extra- Curricular Dance/Drama
There are various opportunities provided to students in the senior school to participate in dance and drama beyond the curriculum. Each year all senior pupils will be given the chance to participate in a whole school production of a musical or play. All students are encouraged to be involved in the production, whether it be in the capacity of an acting, singing, dancing or backstage role. Students will work together in teams and attend weekly rehearsals and workshops.
A themed Arts week is scheduled during the academic year, where students participate in a range of arts activities which can include community performances, trips, and workshops with visiting artists, culminating in a showcase performance in the school theatre.
Students also have the chance to attend other clubs and events which include:
- Project Dance Club
- Ballet class
- Contemporary Dance class
- Senior Drama workshop
- Speech and Drama Festival
- The Regent Theatre Dance Festival
- Youth Dance England Performance classes
- Theatre trips and workshops with professional artists.
- Arts Award leadership sessions.
- School Production rehearsals and workshops
