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 • alignment • balance • coordination • control • flexibility • mobility • strength • stamina • extension • isolation Technical skills, including: • action content (eg travel, turn, elevation, gesture, stillness, use of different body parts, floor work, transfer of weight) • dynamic content (eg fast/slow, sudden/ sustained, acceleration/deceleration, strong/ light, direct/indirect, flowing/abrupt) • spatial content (eg pathways, levels, directions, size of movement, patterns, spatial design) • relationship content - for duet/trio performance only (eg lead and follow, mirroring, action and reaction, accumulation, complement and contrast, counterpoint, contact, formations) • timing content • rhythmic content • movement in a stylistically accurate way.
Expressive skills, including: • projection • focus • spatial awareness • facial expression • phrasing. For duet/trio performance only: • musicality • sensitivity to other dancers • communication of choreographic intent, including mood(s), meaning(s), idea(s), theme(s) and/or style/style fusion(s). Mental skills and attributes (during performance), including: • movement memory • commitment • concentration • confidence. Safe working practices (during performance), including: • safe execution • appropriate dancewear, including: • footwear • hairstyle • absence of jewellery. 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: • travel • turn • elevation • gesture • stillness • use of different body parts • floor work • transfer of weight. Dynamic content, including: • fast/slow • sudden/sustained • acceleration/deceleration • strong/light • direct/indirect • flowing/abrupt. Spatial content, including: • pathways • levels • directions • size of movement • patterns • spatial design. Relationship content, including: • lead and follow • mirroring • action and reaction • accumulation • complement and contrast • counterpoint • contact • formations. Choreographic processes, including: • researching • improvising • generating • selecting • developing
Features of production, including: • staging/set eg projection, furniture, structures, backdrop, screens and features of these such as colour, texture, shape, decoration, materials • lighting eg colour, placement, direction, angles etc • properties eg size, shape, materials, how used etc • costume (including footwear, masks, makeup and accessories): features such as colour, texture, material, flow, shape, line, weight, decoration and how they define character or gender, identify dancers, enhance or sculpt the body and enhance the action • dancers (number, gender) • aural settings eg song, instrumental, orchestral, spoken word, silence, natural sound, found sound, body percussion, style, structure and musical elements such as tone, pitch and rhythm • dance for camera eg placement, angle, proximity, special effects. Performance environments, including: • proscenium arch • end stage • site-sensitive • in-the-round. Choreographic approaches As exemplified in the interview with each choreographer. Choreographic content, including: • movement content (actions, dynamics, space and relationships) as per the knowledge, skills and understanding for choreography specified in Choreography (page 15) • structuring devices and form (binary, ternary, rondo, narrative, episodic, beginning/middle/ end, unity, logical 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).