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Key Stage 3
Dance is taught within the PE curriculum at Key Stage 3 for all students. Students experience a variety of styles including Contemporary, African, Street, Jazz, Parkour and Capoeira.
Key Stage 4
The BTEC First Award in Dance is a two year practical course equivalent to two GCSEs grades A to C. The focus of the course is developing students’ performance and choreographic skills. In year 10 students study Performing Dance in which they experience a variety of styles including Kathak, Bollywood, Street and Contemporary. In year 11 students specialize in Jazz Dance and Contemporary Dance.
Alongside the BTEC students also work towards the Dance Leadership Award. In this course students develop the skills required to deliver dance activities to their peers and younger students.
Key Stage 5
We offer students two courses at Key Stage 5. The BTEC National Award, equivalent to one A-Level and the BTEC National Certificate, equivalent to two A-Levels. Both courses develop students performing, choreographic and analysis skills. Units include Dance Appreciation, Jazz Dance, Physical Theatre, Urban Dance, Developing Contemporary Dance, The Performing Arts Business and Choreographic Principals.
Students can also choose to study the BTEC National Award in Performing Arts which develops both drama and dance skills.
Extracurricular Opportunities
There are many dance clubs at Barnwell including B-Boys (boys only break dance crew), Dance Company (contemporary based gifted and talented group) and Street Dance Club.
In addition to the regular clubs students have many opportunities to perform both at Barnwell and local theatres, and also take part in regular theatre trips and workshops. See the Performing Arts page for more details on recent performances.
Trips & Performances
Dance for Life : Red Cross
Year 12 Dance BTEC, Year 12 Performing Arts BTEC and the B-boys performed 'What's one hour?' on Saturday 13th June 2009.
The dance, inspired by the British Red Cross campaign 'What's one hour?' which promotes the idea of donating an hour’s worth of your monthly salary to help support the work of the charity, resulted in the students coming overall winners!
Dance for life is an event organised by the British Red Cross to raise funds and awareness for their charity work.
Two pictures of the team are in the photo's section. One is from their performance at the Gym, Dance and trampoline Celebration and the other is of the cakes they decorated to sell in the interval to raise money for the British Red Cross.
Well done to all the students and staff involved. It is a great achievement.
PGL Street Dance Weekend 2008
After school on 7th November thirty-two students set off in the pouring rain towards Marchants PGL Centre in Surrey. Despite the horrendous weather a fantastic time was had by all, as reports year 11 student Chloe Barter:
“An amazing, action packed weekend was enjoyed by all girls who went! We had the excitement of meeting a brilliant choreographer who taught us a short street dance routine that we then transformed into a terrific dance. It was great fun to perform and everyone gave it their all so it looked brilliant.
As well as dancing we took part in two nerve-racking activities that consisted major heights and a great deal of team work. The first one was a jump off a 60 foot pole! Most people were petrified but only a couple decided they couldn’t make it all the way up. Everyone said that although it was scary jumping off was really cool!
The second one was Jacob’s ladder where you had people holding on to your ropes whilst you climbed up a massive wooden ladder, you tended to need monkey style to get up.
So, from the disco, outdoor activities and lots of dancing, we were all sorry to have to come home, it was definitely an amazing experience!”
Many thanks to Mrs Tuck and Miss Ward for their support on this trip. Watch this space for news of next year’s trip…