Course Outline

GCSE in Dance increases your confidence and self-esteem, improves problem-solving and creativity and allows you to make knowledgeable decisions about dances.

Why Study for a GCSE in Dance?

• It promotes fitness, a healthy lifestyle, teamwork and creativity.
• It develops independent learning and critical and reflective thinking.
• It develops an understanding of a range of dance styles through performance, creation and appreciation.
• It develops physical, technical and expressive skills which enable you to communicate choreographic intention and individuality as a performer.
• It helps you to build an understanding of choreography through which you are able to communicate ideas and meaning, drawn from a range of dance styles.
• It develops a critical appreciation of dance in its physical, artistic, aesthetic and cultural settings.
• It provides foundations for further studies in dance, including GCE A Level Dance and the Creative and Media Diploma, or a career in Performing Arts.

You are encouraged to develop your dance experience within the course, either through further training or through devising and performing dance more informally.

Development in Dance

The study of dance as an art form contributes to your aesthetic and social development and, as a physical activity, it promotes fitness and wellbeing. It also supports learning across a range of subjects. Studying dance helps you to develop:

• as a performer, building up confidence and self-esteem
• self and body awareness as well as sensitivity to others and teamworking skills
• effective performance requiring physical effort and determination to succeed and improve
• as a choreographer, employing problem-solving, creativity by using imagination and the ability to synthesize a number of elements
• interpersonal and communication skills
• critical skills, making informed decisions about the dances you see
• articulation of knowledge, opinions and preferences, and
• fulfilment of cultural entitlement and broadened artistic experience.

Duration

The course takes place over three hours every Saturday (during term time) and over two academic years. In the second year, an intensive rehearsal period is run during the Easter holidays ahead of the practical moderations.

Assessment

Practical and written exams will be held at RAD headquarters between April and June in the second year.

Unit 2: Dance appreciation – Written Exam 1½ hours 40%

• Based on students own practice in performance and choreography and the GCSE Dance anthology.