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GCSE Dance - any thoughts?


aileen

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My DD Has chosen to do GCSE dance in September and I can't say I'm happy about it. I recently saw a dance made up by the teacher for the year 10s and it was awful and I have had various reports from other parents on how bad it's been for their children. Without sounding arrogant, it was the sort of standard my DD was doing in modern about age 9 ( I'm sure a lot of you parents get what I mean!,) I am really concerned that she will be bored to death after the first term. Someone has mentioned to me today that she may be able to do GCSE dance through the school as an extra GCSE but in her own time? I know I need to inquire at the school about this but has anyone else done or heard of this as she is also quite academic and I can't help feeling doing dance at school will be a waste . She is an all round dancer of ballet, tap modern and jazz. Any information or advice would be most appreciated.

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I think it very much depends on the individual school and the dance teachers. Is there are large, active performing arts department at the school, and do they organise a lot of workshops/theatre visits?

 

GCSE Dance is mostly contemporary dance and the syllabus takes account of the fact that some students taking it will have little or no previous dance experience. There are a number of well-known works by famous choreographers which may be studied, but these options are chosen by the teaching staff and in my dd's case they were all contemporary pieces - no ballet at all, and in fact the teachers disliked ballet and had a habit of belittling my dd's achievements in that area.

 

Perhaps you could find out which works the teachers have chosen from the list to be studied during the course. It might be worthwhile if your dd enjoys choreography and making up dances, otherwise she might find that it isn't enough of a challenge.

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I'm finding this thread very interesting

 

My dd is due to start secondary school in September and we went and visited two schools. One offered GCSE dance and the other didn't.

 

I assumed that my dd would be excited at the thought of being able to do gcse dance as an option and she was. When we did the tour she kept asking "are we going to the dance studio yet?". When we got there we were treated to watching three year 10 pieces and I could see my dd wasn't so excited any more.

 

I asked what had put her off in the car on the way home (out of earshot) and she said the floor was bad and the dancing poor.

 

So that was that. She is going to a different school and looking forward to doing GCSE trampolining!!!!! Hillarious. I'm sure things will change again when options come around :)

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I'm really disappointed to read the posts where GCSE Dance is not taken seriously by dancers. I've been teaching the subject to Year 8+, at a local high school. The course is open to pupils from three other secondary schools in addition to the host school. As a dance professional, and qualified secondary school teacher, I feel that when the course is undertaken outside school hours, the students attend because they are interested in dance. This ensures enjoyable and productive sessions. When the course is studied during curriculum time, there are always students who think the course is a perfect opportunity to be as obstructive as possible. I dream of the year that my cohort will all have an interest in dance. One year, I was excited when I had a Royal Ballet Associate commence the course. Sadly, she didn't stay long (just one term), as she was so upset with the interruptions and behaviour displayed by the pupils who weren't interested.

I really enjoy the AQA syllabus-the proposed new syllabus involves more dance and less theory than the current course. I always allow my students to choose the dance genre they wish for their solo and own group choreography (unit 4).

The set dance is a contemporary piece(which is really enjoyable to teach. I favour Impulse. For the other group piece (unit 3), led by the teacher, I tend to encourage contemporary/creative dance.

Also, I plan sufficient time during the lessons, for rehearsals and preparation for the exam.

In my opinion It's s great course for young dancers to express themselves, socialise, be involved in problem solving activities and experience the necessary workload required for their other GCSE subjects.

I hope you're able to reach a satisfactory outcome.

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I think that one of the difficulties is that the course is designed to be accessible to students who have done little or no dance before, which may well affect its credibility and attract students who just want what they see as a soft option. For GCSE music you are supposed to be at around ABRSM Grade 4 standard which means that the average student will have been studying his or her instrument fairly seriously for at least a couple of years. In my DD's case, I just felt that there were too many risks and unknown factors to make the course worthwhile. Come the Spring term, I felt that her time would be better spent revising than spending a lot of unproductive time in the dance studio. I'm afraid that I have tunnel vision when it comes to GCSEs. I want to maximise my DD's chances of getting as many high grades as possible, and enjoyment, creativity etc come second as those things can be experienced through the extra-curricular dance and music that she does. However, I'm sure that many students - particularly those who do not dance outside school - find GCSE dance a worthwhile course which complements their other GCSE choices..

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Choosing GCSEs is tricky, we were faced with this dilema earlier in the year. My daughter does so much dance out of school and we also were worried about the skill level of the cohorts and how this would translate in the lesson - no offence intended but think the teacher may be challenged to accommodate a potentially wide range skill set. So, we opted for PE instead, rationale being she could learn a lot about nutrition, physiology which would support her Biology plus one of the electives is contemporary dance- so she can still indulge her passion, albeit from a different perspective.

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Aileen, if your daughter is taking 10 academic GCSEs then perhaps there are some other benefits to her from taking a creative subject like dance just to give her a bit of a break. My d is doing similar number of GCSEs including triple science - her school don't offer GCSE dance (or she would have done it for sure) but she is doing textiles. She hopes to make a dance costume, possibly a tutu (!) as her main GCSE piece. The academic road is long and tough so having some down time is very important. And universities like to see evidence of a well rounded balanced individual who is able to study and have a life as well. i know of several students whose A levels dropped 1 grade in 1 subject below their offer, but they still got in because they were able to offer other things such as sport and music.

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mnemo, I take your point that universities like to see a well-rounded person, although the importance of this is often overstated except in rare cases such as medical applicants; a demonstrable passion for your subject and (in some cases) relevant work experience count for much more. It's not as if my DD doesn't do anything other than study as she already has a fairly full timetable of extra-curricular activities (ballet, tap, two orchestras and string quartet plus DoE from next year) and I don't think that a GCSE in dance is going to make much difference. She is not artistic and so would never take art or DT. Music was an option - and would not have been time consuming because the school quartets/trios etc are recorded and submitted as the ensemble pieces - but the course didn't appeal to her.

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It was a few years ago now but my dd took GCSE dance as one of her options at a state comprehensive school and although her dance was way above the level of the class (she went on to Central) she learned a great deal from the course in terms of analysing dance, studying the set pieces and choreography. She was somewhat frustrated when working in groups but there was one other student of a similar standard and she worked on a duet for her own piece. Actually watching this was the first of only a few times that I have been moved to tears by watching her dance. My only problem is that the school still 'sell' this course to students saying things like 'one of out past pupils is now......' without any mention of the hours and years of dancing and associates etc dd used to do outside school leading to false hopes for others.

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Hi everyone I've got a question about GCSE Dance,

So it is a while away but in January I got to choose my options and I was wondering what are the benefits of having a dance GCSE. I'm confused because you would need a science degree to become a doctor so you can get into university but for dance I thought that it would be more of an audition for entry instead. I'm just a little confused on what a dance gcse could lead on to or do you have to have it for certain dance courses?

If anyone could enlighten me that would be very helpful! Many thanks.

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My understanding is that a dance GCSE is just that, another GCSE. It has no practical use in terms of furthering your dance journey. Not even remotely necessary for dance college, as you say, that's based on audition.

 

If you have plenty of academic options and you want a relief from the academic study, it might be nice to add in. Before going off to vocational school my DS chose his options at his state school - he had 11 GCSE subjects and I said that if he wanted to he could do the dance one as one of his options. He did decide to do this, as he felt that it would be an opprtunity to be creative with dance and explore more contemporary styles (something he didn't get with ballet, tap and modern).

 

When he went to vocational school there only became 9 GCSE options and I insisted that every one was adademic.

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d's friend had a comment on her (state school) report that her dancing had 'greatly improved over the year'. no mention that she was an RB associate.

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d's friend had a comment on her (state school) report that her dancing had 'greatly improved over the year'. no mention that she was an RB associate.

Ahh, the joys of school reports.I am waiting for the almost annual comment from DDs PE teacher suggesting that she really should take up a physical activity outside school to maintain the fitness gained in PE this year. Presumably her 15+ hours of dance isn't physical.....

And from back in the mists of time, my husband had a comment from his language teacher berating him for his lack of effort in French, pointing out that with his exceptional attainment in Spanish he should also excel in French. Skipping neatly over the fact that his mum is Spanish and he learned it from the cradle.....

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Hi everyone I've got a question about GCSE Dance,

So it is a while away but in January I got to choose my options and I was wondering what are the benefits of having a dance GCSE. I'm confused because you would need a science degree to become a doctor so you can get into university but for dance I thought that it would be more of an audition for entry instead. I'm just a little confused on what a dance gcse could lead on to or do you have to have it for certain dance courses?

If anyone could enlighten me that would be very helpful! Many thanks.

As far as I am aware, none of the vocational dance schools (or MT ones such as Laines, Bird etc) ask specifically for GCSE dance, they seem to be more interested in your performance at audition and in ballet/dance grades and vocational exams. Maybe local further education colleges offering BTEC performing arts courses might like you to have GCSE or A-level dance though.

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I had to twist Dss arm to get him to take GCSE Dance. He loved it ! And is now taking A level Dance. He has learned so much about choreography, expression etc that it has really complemented his ballet. Parents were invited to watch all of the GCSE and A level work in an evening sharing. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the performances ! The standard some would say wasn't particularly high but the enthusiasm, passion and love of dance shone through in these young people. I would rather watch that any day over an RAD class.

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I had to twist Dss arm to get him to take GCSE Dance. He loved it ! And is now taking A level Dance. He has learned so much about choreography, expression etc that it has really complemented his ballet. Parents were invited to watch all of the GCSE and A level work in an evening sharing. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the performances ! The standard some would say wasn't particularly high but the enthusiasm, passion and love of dance shone through in these young people. I would rather watch that any day over an RAD class.

You were lucky then, the GCSE dance teaching at my dd's school was abominable not as good as it should have been, and dd said she wouldn't touch A-level dance with a bargepole.

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Hi everyone I've got a question about GCSE Dance,

So it is a while away but in January I got to choose my options and I was wondering what are the benefits of having a dance GCSE. I'm confused because you would need a science degree to become a doctor so you can get into university but for dance I thought that it would be more of an audition for entry instead. I'm just a little confused on what a dance gcse could lead on to or do you have to have it for certain dance courses?

If anyone could enlighten me that would be very helpful! Many thanks.

GCSE dance is about expression, choreography and interpretation rather than technical skills as many who have not studied dance before will have little or no technical skills.  I am disappointed to read that it is thought to have little value as it improves choreography and understanding of music and interpretation of the music. or GCSE you have to choreograph a solo which you can either perform yourself or teach to someone else and also choreograph a group routine which develops/improves teaching skills.  

 

Although dance schools will take students on their audition and don't require GCSE dance, understanding what you are dancing and interpretation of the music enhances your performance which can only be a bonus.  Associate schemes etc teach children technique but understanding why they are doing the steps and how they go together is equally important.  

Sorry - I do get on my hobby horse where people dismiss a subject just because not all the students are technically good.  Sometimes we have to think outside the box a little!

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My fear about my daughter being bored is that if you can take GCSE dance without ever having any proper lessons then surely these children will have to be taught 'some ' steps in order for it to look like a dance and not just jumping around? While these children are being taught proper dance moves then surely the others that are inter standard and above will be bored? Isn't it a bit like me not knowing how to play an instrument then being taught a few notes and expected to create an amazing piece of music? In GCSE music you have to be a certain standard which I feel gives it much more credibility as an exam. Just my own personal opinion and concerns!

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I suppose in vocational dance schools the children already know the dance steps and can dance so then the choreography and expression part can be built on rather than have to start right at the beginning teaching basic steps. My DD still wants to do it but I do think she'll regret it, the dance teacher doesn't seem to like anyone trained in classical ballet apparently ( I've been pre warned by others already) I guess it's a case of the GCSE is only as good as the teacher delivering it

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I rather suspect that the vocational schools do it because it is an easy GCSE for their students to get a high grade in and all schools, including vocational schools, need as many of their students as possible to get 5 GCSEs Grade A* to C. Many vocational schools get their students to try their hand at choreography anyway and rehearsals are easy to organise as the students are always 'on site'. I expect that vocational music schools get all their students to take GCSE music; the students are studying works of music, composing and playing in ensembles on a daily basis and it's very little effort to prepare them for their written and performance modules.

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Just a thought ! If it were that bad why would they be doing it in our vocational schools ? The curriculum is the same wherever !

The syllabus/curriculum content itself is fine. I think that sometimes the issue is with the fact that in some schools it is taught by PE teachers who dance rather than dance teachers who now work in a school (if you see what I mean).

 

DD's experience was not a good one - for several reasons which I won't go into in detail on here (as it makes my blood boil even now) and involved me going to several meetings at the school with her teacher and head of year. Incidentally, none of the issues were to do with the level of ability of her cohorts.

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