Dance offers enriching, cultural experiences and builds skills that benefit students during their education and in adult life. 

The key principles of our Dance curriculum is to inspire and develop resilient dancers who have a sophisticated understanding of how to create, perform and analyse dance. All students can engage and succeed in Dance, taking on the roles of creator, performer, audience, critic and leader. 

Students have regular opportunities to build and showcase their performance skills and participate in dance performance, within the lesson or on a larger scale - providing life-enhancing and memorable learning experiences for all. 

Curriculum Aims

The aim of our curriculum, framed around the exam specifications, is to produce a rounded artist with sound practical and theoretical skills who are inquisitive, creative and independent thinkers and problem-solvers

Students will learn to choreograph, perform and appreciate dance as an art form and inform their development as creative and artistic individuals and broaden their aesthetic, social and cultural experience through a holistic engagement with dance.  

Students will engage as performers through the application of knowledge, skills and understanding of performing, the development of physical, technical, mental and expressive skills and communication of choreographic intention and artistry.  

We aim to develop students appreciation of dance through the articulation of knowledge and critical reflection to inform artistic practice, the critical appreciation of dance in its physical, artistic, aesthetic and cultural contexts and the critical analysis, interpretation, evaluation and appreciation of professional dance works.

Students will participate in and appreciate dance from many dance styles, critically appreciate at least two professional works by at least two choreographers, work collaboratively with others, develop knowledge, skills and understanding of health, well-being and safe and professional practice relevant to dance and to improve own work through analysis, critical self-reflection and evaluation.

Curriculum Design

Our Dance curriculum is designed around the key skills of performance, choreography and appreciation.  Throughout our curriculum these key concepts are introduced in the first few topics in Year 7 and then throughout the rest of this year, in subsequent years and beyond to GCSE and A-level, they are embedded and developed to achieve increasing confidence, maturity and sophistication.

Please click the link to view our Dance Curriculum Year Overview

Future Pathways and Next Steps 

Through the study of Dance, we aim to unlock each students' potential and inspire them to achieve excellence by being the best they can be.   Our curriculum encourages students to be inspired, moved and changed by following a broad, coherent, satisfying and worthwhile course of study. This will prepare students to make informed decisions about further learning opportunities and career choices such as: 

University Degrees: Dance, Drama and Theatre Studies

Apprenticeships: Community Arts, Pilates Instructor

Careers: Choreographer, Community Arts Worker, Dance Movement Psychotherapist

Students can find out more about the subject and careers above by logging into their Unifrog account at https://www.unifrog.org/sign-in and using the Subject Library and Careers Library tools.