Dance is a powerful art form; it uses the body to tell stories, express emotion and challenge the status quo. Chloe Bush and Katie White talk in ‘Huh’ about how they build a connected, enriching and creative dance curriculum.
The first thing to get over are pupils’ attitudes – ‘I’m not doing dance!’ We create a safe space then introduce simple exercises & risk-taking activities that ‘trick’ them into dance. It’s important to keep it fun and light-hearted. Quality doesn’t matter at the start: it's about building cohesion and trust.
We equip students with a 'dance toolbox.' It contains all the physical & technical things you’d expect from a dancer. This includes core strength, flexibility, alignment, posture. Then you have expressive skills, which is what engages an audience & brings the toolbox techniques to life.
The basic starting point of being able to sequence actions comes from the PE curriculum. Pupils know and understand a jump, a roll, and a travel. And as pupils go through the year groups, they understand how to sequence those actions in a more sophisticated way. They develop understanding both of how their body moves and the basic craft of dance.
By the end of key stage 3 we want pupils to have an appreciation of how dance as an art form can move people emotionally. If pupils do not take dance beyond Year 9, the appreciation of the emotive power of dance is probably what they take the most from studying the subject. We find that they enjoy learning about dance that moves them the most and can articulate how it makes them feel.
As pupils move into key stage 4, we approach works that are more post-modern and abstract, and it is good for pupils to have further dance journeys to explore further up the school.
Contemporary dance is about rebellion. Pioneers like Martha Graham & Merce Cunningham were not just dance pioneers, they were huge figures in the promotion of women’s rights and equality. When you say to students that they can do anything and it's not wrong, they are inspired!
We link learning with performing arts in a meaningful way. After mapping each discipline to gain a broader view of the curriculum, the framework was already there. The natural overlap layers this richness - it's organic and connected while still maintaining the integrity of dance as a distinct specialism.
Some resources that are helpful for colleagues line managing dance:
1. A Choreographer’s Creative Process in Real Time: Wayne McGregor
2. Dance Education around the World: Perspectives on dance, young
people and change. C.Svendler-Nielsen, S.Burridge
If you’d like to know more, you can watch the full conversation with Chloe, Katie, John and me on Myatt & Co (£/free trial)
Until next time
Mary
And when you’re ready, you might find these helpful for curriculum and leadership development in your school
NEW: Huh Leadership Lobby: a blended, self-paced course with live check-ins, led by me and Andrew Morrish. It is designed for aspiring, new and established leaders, and starts April 2023, places are limited. You can sign up for a free online webinar on either Wednesday 1 February 6-7pm or Thursday 9 February 7-8pm
Huh Curriculum Leaders Course: UPDATE: Bookings are now closed for the January - February 2023 cohort. If you’d like to be kept up to date on the June course, you can sign up here
The spring Primary Subject Networks now available to book, live and recorded (£/free trial). Due to demand we are planning secondary subject networks, details to follow