
Whether you're teaching drama or performing arts, dance matters. Your students will need a working knowledge of dance and a skillset to allow them to perform in a range of styles. The more exposure you're able to give your students, the more confident they will become in their general movement, which is a key part of any performance practice. You can be a wonderful singer or a talented actor, but all performers need to move on stage or screen. Sadly though, few schools offer dance as a subject past Year 9 and often only as part of PE. A good drama course would offer some movement classes and perhaps a physical theatre unit as part of their teaching.
Potential pathways
For those teachers interested in pursuing more formal examination structures for their pupils, there is one Dance GCSE offered by AQA, with two new Level 2 courses: Pearson's BTEC Level 1/2 Tech Award in Performing Arts with a Dance Approach and WJEC's Level 1/2 Vocational Award in Performing Arts (Technical Award). But what do you do if your school does not have an in-house dance specialist to teach these courses?
Perhaps it's not necessary to do a GCSE in Dance. Instead, you could offer extracurricular clubs instead. Any student can do A Level Dance without having studied the subject at GCSE and can go on to study dance at degree level. Equally, a Dance A Level is not a prerequisite for a degree course in dance. Pearson offer dance routes through their Level 3 BTEC Performing Arts qualifications.
Bbodance
Someone who is an expert on dance exams is Cynthia Harvey, patron of examination board and awarding body bbodance. She is a dance teacher, choreographer and producer and has held many impressive roles throughout her career. Having been the first American principal ballerina of the Royal Ballet, she performed alongside the world's top dancers before retiring from the stage in 1996. Since then, she has focused her efforts on teaching, coaching and holding top positions at competitions and dance examining bodies.
Bbodance started life as the British Ballet Organisation in 1930, when it was founded by Edouard Espinosa and Eve Kelland. Since then, it has broadened its scope to offer a range of exams in different styles which have a wide appeal to dance teachers and their students. Graded exams are now offered in Tap, Jazz, Modern, Musical Theatre and Contemporary. The syllabus for each dance genre is structured carefully to teach technique, artistry and performance skills. For students applying to university, Level 3 exams offer UCAS points going up to a potential 20 points for a Distinction/Distinction* at Grade 8. Bbodance also offers a scholarship scheme, open to the most talented students of its registered teachers and associate members.
We asked Cynthia Harvey to answer a few questions about the value of learning dance, both as a subject or as an extracurricular activity.
Why should students consider taking exams in dance?
Exams help students develop self-confidence, artistry and musicality. They are excellent audition practice and provide preparation for a professional dance career. If your school or college does not offer Dance GCSE or A Level, then these exams will look impressive on an application form for a vocational dance school or university course. They show potential employers that students are creative, goal-oriented, willing to learn, and committed to achieving difficult tasks.
How can you incorporate dance into your education without a syllabus?
If you don't want your pupils to follow an exam syllabus, consider running a dance club, entering pupils for dance competitions and festivals or including dance numbers in your school productions. Look for opportunities in your local area and consider applying for funding via a local arts charity to host a series of workshops led by industry professionals.
How do you become qualified to teach?
For those wishing to teach dance, bbodance offers Teaching Certificates from Level 3 Certificate to diplomas at Levels 4, 5 and 6. These provide you with a comprehensive knowledge of dance teaching and opens you up to be able to specialise in any genre. Bbodance also offers CPD options for dance teachers, as well as various membership schemes.