Aims & Objectives

Course Aims

• Enjoy lifelong engagement with the arts

• Become informed, reflective and critical practitioners in the arts

• Understand the dynamic and changing nature of the arts

• Explore and value the diversity of the arts across time, place and cultures

• Express ideas with confidence and competence

• Develop perceptual and analytical skills

• Understand dance as a set of practices with their own histories and theories, and to understand that these practices integrate physical, intellectual and emotional knowledge

• Experience dance as an individual and collective exploration of the expressive possibilities of bodily movement

• Understand and appreciate mastery in various dance styles, traditions and cultures familiar and unfamiliar

• Recognise and use dance to create dialogue among the various traditions and cultures in their school environment, their society and the world at large

Assessment Objectives

Knowledge and understanding

• identify the appropriate compositional processes and structures to support dances with different subject matter or content

• describe the similarities and differences between the historical contexts of two dance cultures and/or traditions

• in internal assessment, demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the selected dance(s) performed

Application and analysis

• demonstrate the use of compositional craft to support the intention, form and content of the dances

• apply in the analytical statement the key terms and concepts used in developing dance composition(s)

• analyse the similarities and differences between the historical and the current context within each selected dance culture and/or tradition

• analyse the similarities and differences in the dance elements of two dance cultures and/or traditions

• in internal assessment, demonstrate the ability to present an effective performance

Synthesis and evaluation

• critically reflect upon the creative process of compositional problems encountered, including possible appropriate solutions for future development

• at HL only: Demonstrate compositional contrast across two of the three dance works

• at HL only: Analyse and evaluate the influence and significance of connections from all three components of the Diploma Programme dance course in the making of one dance composition

• at HL only: Demonstrate an in-depth comparative discussion of two short dance excerpts from two dance cultures and/or traditions

• in internal assessment, demonstrate ability to interpret sensitively the intention of the dance(s)

Selection, use and application of a variety of appropriate skills and techniques

• demonstrate control of compositional craft appropriate to each dance composition

• demonstrate organization of written material, including use and attribution of appropriate sources

• in internal assessment, demonstrate control of technical skills appropriate to the dance