BTEC Dance

Taster Session

Practical Task: Complete the warm-up and practical session by watching the videos below.

Written Task:

Taster of component three: 

You have been given a brief by the examiner which requires you to perform a dance performance to a care home to inspire the elderly. The stimulus you have been given to create your piece is: "treasured memories"

You would be required to create a 7 - 15 minute long dance for this. For this task, you must create a mind map with all of your ideas that spring to mind when thinking about what your dance could be about. Think about song choices, storyline and sections, characters, types of movement and emotions. Use a google doc or slide to complete this and send to your PE/Dance teacher! 


Key Details

Official Course Title: BTEC Level 1/2 Tech Award in Performing Arts (Dance)

Exam Board: Pearson

Aims Of the Course

The KS4 Dance program is designed for all students - both those with no prior dance experience and those with different degrees of formal training. All students will experience a high school dance programme of study, which provides students with the training necessary to understand and critically analyse dance performances, pursue dance as a career, and/or study dance at a college and professional levels.

The main aim of our BTEC Dance course is to help build confident, hard-working performers. The content of the course requires you to develop your research, technical, performance, expressive and creative skills. You will, at points, be required to work independently, in small groups as well as in a class ensemble.

In order to complete this course, you will be required to take part in multiple showcases to live audiences.

This course allows you to challenge yourself if you are an experienced dancer, or allows you to start from the beginning and gain new skills if dance is something you are wanting to get into. We have the support and levels in place to build your skills as a dancer. 

What does the course cover?

Learners will participate in rehearsal or production/design practices, continuing the development of skills and techniques with reference to existing performance types, styles and repertoire. They will complete all the content appropriate for their chosen role.

Learners will apply interpretative skills and techniques appropriate to the selected discipline in a performance or design realisation. They will cover either the performance or design skills as appropriate to selected discipline.

Learners must track their progress during this component, reflecting on their development of skills and working practices in workshops, through to rehearsals and performances.

Understand how to respond to a brief.
Select and develop skills and techniques in response to a brief
Apply skills and techniques in a workshop performance in response to a brief
Evaluate the development process and outcome in response to a brief.

Assessment and Examinations

Component 1: Exploring the Performing Arts (Internal 30%)

Component 2: Developing Skills and Techniques in the Performing Arts (Internal 30%)

Component 3: Performing to a Brief (External 40%)

BTEC Dance Specification 2021.pdf

Component 1 requires you to practically explore three professional performances. You need to partake in practical workshops and conduct your own research in order to discover features of the repertoire including the choreographic intent, choreographic approach and why the specific constituent features were used. This information will all need to be presented in a PowerPoint or booklet. 

This will give you a chance to explore and understand other choreographers and practitioners that you can then go on to use to inspire your future practice in dance. You are able to be creative through this unit and display your portfolio creatively. 

Component 2 requires you to learn a piece of repertoire, choreographed by a professional. This can be in any style and students often have an input into what work we choose. Alongside this, you will need to keep a log of the skills you are developing and how you have done so by writing SMART targets. To the right is the repertoire we have looked at most recently!

You will get to rehearse and improve on your physical skills such as extension, flexibility, movement memory, as well as exploring and improving on interpretive skills such as your expression, focus and projection. This unit is an excellent chance for you to improve your pwn dance skills. 

BTEC Dance C3 Set Task 2021.pdf

Component 3 allows you to work in smaller groups to show of your creativity in a choreography task. You will be set a brief and stimulus by the exam board and from this will need to develop an original dance idea. Alongside the final performance, you will also be required to sit three controlled written tasks. The tasks require you to discuss your initial idea, the skills you are using and developing and an evaluation of your final performance. The current brief is attached below. Have a read and think about what you could create a piece on!

This is an exciting unit that allows you to use all of the skills you have developed over the two year course and show off your abilty as a dancer. This is an independent project and therefore you are left to make all of your own choices. From song choice, to movement, to the story being told, all of your choices are your own and you can really show off your creativity and passion about topics that are important to you.