We aim for our students to understand that there are moments when watching dance that take the breath away. For many of our students, we hope they will experience that emotional intensity and visceral energy. Lessons focus on choreographing, performing and appreciating dance. Our students feel safe and empowered to explore creativity through our Alderbrook Dance Family ethos which mirrors our school’s values of ambition, bravery and kindness. Younger dance students can choose to be mentored by an older dancer, which helps to create a sense of belonging to a supportive learning dance community. It is important to us that our students understand the transferable skills of collaboration, creativity, grit and resilience that our subject can offer. We want our students to challenge their physical, expressive, technical and mental skills through experiencing dance from different cultures and styles. Schemes of work and learning experiences aim to encourage students to ‘see beneath the surface’ when exploring a stimulus, to feel passionate about creating work that can connect to politics, society, technological advances, history and artistry.
Dance department:
Year 7 & 8: Students explore the origins and societal impact of Street Dance, transition into Physical Theatre to explore historical and contemporary events, and hone choreographic skills through a duet on the theme of confrontation (studying Michael Jackson’s Beat It).
Year 9: Training intensifies with physical bootcamps and highly charged phrases to challenge technical and mental limits. Students choreograph work based on internal fears, and close the key stage by studying Ashley Banjo’s Black Lives Matter performance and Michael Jackson’s Black or White, teaching them to see beneath the surface and respond empathetically to vital socio-political movements.
BTEC Dance: Students transition into the formal world of dance, aligning with our ethos of ambition and bravery. They develop performance and technical skills through rigorous training, study professional repertoire, and choreograph original work in response to a theme. A heavy emphasis is placed on the transferable skills of self-reflection, giving and receiving feedback, and proactive target-setting.
RSL Diploma in Creative and Performing Arts: This challenging Key Stage 5 curriculum prepares students for the professional industry or higher education. Dancers diversify their training across a wide range of styles to become versatile, employable artists. They master professional repertoire, take on leadership roles by mentoring and leading one another, plan professional careers, and manage the full scope of a performance from conception to execution.
We take pride in our extra-curricular opportunities:
Studying and training in Dance can lead onto a career in the industry ranging from positions where dance is fundamental to the role or where it can be streamlined within a position, to support a range of professional occupations.
Choreographer, Dancer, Dance Teacher, Community Dance Practitioner, Dance/Arts Development Officer, Dance Education Specialist, Dance Film Maker, Dance Movement Therapist, Dance Critic, Dance Lecturer/Researcher, Stage Lighting, Choreologist, Pilates Instructor, Dance Agent, and Nutritionist for Dancers.
Other qualities and key skills that can be gained from studying Dance: Grit & Perseverance, Respecting others & Collaboration, Applying Creative Thinking and Aspirational skills.
For further information; please contact Ms Manghnani
