Dance

Subject leader

Miss Sofia DaSilva:
sofia.dasilva@swale.at

Curriculum Intent

At The Turing School, our Dance curriculum is designed to spark creativity, build confidence, and foster collaboration. Through performance, choreography, and critical appreciation, students explore diverse dance styles and respond to a range of stimuli and professional works, developing both technical skill and artistic voice.

Dance nurtures essential life skills such as teamwork, leadership, empathy, and resilience. Our curriculum provides a platform for students to express themselves, reflect on the world around them, and grow as creative, collaborative thinkers.

By engaging with thought-provoking themes and varied performance opportunities, students not only develop their creative identity but are also prepared for future learning and a broad spectrum of careers within the arts and beyond.

Learning Journey

Curriculum implementation 

KS3

At key stage 3 students study dance for one hour a fortnight.

Year 7

Term 1 & 2: Secret Agents
Students begin by exploring narrative dance  through characterisation. They learn the five basic body actions and develop key performance skills including focus, spatial awareness, and timing. Through ensemble work, students gain confidence and are introduced to the art of choreography.

Term 3 and 4: Cogs
Using a car advert as stimulus, students explore mechanical movements, shapes, and rhythm. This unit introduces choreographic devices such as action and reaction, and lead and follow. Students create movement material that responds creatively to the stimulus.

Term 5 & 6: Dance Through the Decades
Students explore popular dance styles including the Charleston, Jive, and Disco. This unit develops stylistic awareness and an understanding of cultural and historical context, while refining performance technique and musicality.

Year 8

Term 1 and 2: Stimuli

Students explore how to respond creatively to a wide range of stimuli, including text, imagery, props, and music. They investigate the choreographic process in depth, developing an understanding of how movement can be used to express intention and convey meaning. Through motif and development, students refine their ability to structure choreography with clarity, purpose, and creativity.

Term 3 and 4: Diversity

Inspired by the work of professional street dance group Diversity, students explore choreography focused on social issues such as racism and equality. This unit develops expressive skills and emotional understanding.
 
Term 5 and 6: Cultural Dance
Students explore global dance styles such as Capoeira, Kathak, Bharatanatyam, and dances from the African Diaspora. They learn set phrases to further develop their technical ability, develop stylistic choreography, and gain insight into cultural traditions through movement.

Year 9

Term 1 & 2: Dance in Film and TV
Students explore how dance is used in film and television. They study a range of styles including musical theatre, commercial, and contemporary dance, alongside Rambert’s ballet adaptation of Peaky Blinders. This unit develops students' performance technique while deepening their critical appreciation of how dance is presented across contemporary performance platforms.

Term 3 and 4: Guernica & Christopher Bruce
Using Picasso’s Guernica and Christopher Bruce’s Shadows as inspiration, students explore the theme of war through symbolism. They create group choreography using motif development, contrast, and props to express the key themes.

Term  5 & 6: Choreography and Performance
In this final unit, students research a historical event of their choice and use it as a stimulus to create an original dance. They apply their knowledge and  understanding of choreography  and performance. This unit encourages leadership, creativity, and independent thinking, preparing students for GCSE Dance.

KS4

Dance is studied as an option choice at KS4.

Students follow the AQA GCSE Dance specification.

The course is divided into two components studied over the two-year period:

Year 10 and Year 11

Component 1: Performance and Choreography

60% of the qualification – 80 marks

Content overview
● Performance of two set phrases as a solo.
● Performance in a duet/trio.
● Choreography of a solo or group dance in response to a stimulus.

Assessed via practical performance and recorded evidence, marked by the teacher and moderated by AQA.

Component 2: Dance Appreciation

Written exam – 1 hour 30 minutes
40% of the qualification – 80 marks

Content overview
● Knowledge and understanding of choreographic processes and performance skills.
● Critical appreciation of one's own work and professional dance works from the AQA anthology.
● Evaluation and analysis of dance through written responses.

Assessed via a written examination at the end of Year 11.

Extra Curricular

At The Turing School, students are encouraged to engage in Dance beyond the classroom through a variety of extra-curricular activities. These include dance club, opportunities to participate in the school production, and involvement in local dance events such as Lets Dance.

Additional websites and resources

AQA GCSE Dance Specification

GCSE Dance Anthology works