Exam Specifications
Below you will find a guide to a range of dance exam specifications, and how Rambert Classroom can support the teaching of these. Scroll down to your specification below, then click on the links to navigate around the site.
AQA A-Level Dance:
Performance
Safe Practice
Warming Up and Technical Accuracy:
● Why Warm Up?
Importance of Alignment:
● Contemporary Technique: Alignment and Posture class video excerpts
Presentation of Self:
● Rambert Company Class videos
Lifestyle of a Dancer:
● Dance as a Career: interviews with Rambert dancers
Performance skills:
● Contemporary Technique: Alignment and Posture class video excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Transfer of Weight class video excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Balance class video excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Directions/Facings class video excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Rhythm/Timing class video excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Dynamic variation class video excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Phrasing/emphasis class video excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Pathways Through Space class video excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Using Momentum and Weight in Floorwork (full class)
● Guided improvisations: Exploring different movement qualities
● Guided improvisations: Sensitivity to others
● Guided improvisations: Spatial pathways
● Guided improvisations: Timing
● Guided improvisations: Floorwork
● Guided improvisations: Gesture
AQA A-Level Dance:
Choreography
Understanding the creative and rehearsal process
● Choreographic Process interviews
Knowledge, Understanding and Skills of Group Choreography
Understanding Movement Components
● Class excerpts indexed by topic
● Guided improvisations indexed by topic
● Creating original movement improvisation videos
Manipulation of Movement Components
● Make it Yours: Applying Choreographic Tools
Structuring Movement Material
Documenting the Choreography
Programme Note Supports
● Overview of Choreographic and Stylistic Tools
Aural setting
● Playlist, including original compositions from Rambert musicians
AQA A-Level Dance
Critical Engagement
Compulsory Set Work and Area of Study
Set work: Rooster (Christopher Bruce, 1991)
● Dancing in Rooster interview, Lucy Balfour
● Working with Christopher Bruce interview, Liam Francis
Rambert Dance Company/Ballet Rambert 1966-2002
● Rambert history 1966-2002 documentary
● Reflection and recall questions
Named Practitioners
● Rambert Works: Norman Morrice (Two Brothers, 1958)
● Rambert Works: Glen Tetley (Ziggurat, 1967)
● Rambert Works: Glen Tetley (Embrace Tiger Return to Mountain, 1968)
● Rambert Works: H (John Chesworth, 1968)
● Rambert Works: Norman Morrice (That is the Show , 1971)
● Rambert Works: Christopher Bruce (For These Who Die as Cattle.., 1972)
● Rambert Works: John Chesworth (Pattern For An Escalator, 1972)
● Rambert Works: Robert North (Death and the Maiden, 1980/1984)
● Rambert Works: Robert North (Pribaoutki, 1982)
● Rambert Works: Christopher Bruce (Sergeant Early’s Dream, 1984)
● Rambert Works: Richard Alston (Wildlife, 1984)
● Rambert Works: Richard Alston (Soda Lake, 1986)
● Rambert Works: Ashley Page (Soldat, 1988)
● Rambert Works: Siobhan Davies (Embarque, 1988)
● Rambert Works: Siobhan Davies (Winnsboro’ Cotton Mill Blues 1992)
Optional Area of Study 4: The independent contemporary dance scene in Britain 2000-current
● Rambert Works: Shobana Jeyasingh (Terra Incognita, 2013)
● Rambert Works: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (Invisible Cities, 2019)
● Rambert Works: Hofesh Shecter (In Your Rooms 2007/2019)
● Rambert Works: Benoit Swan Pouffer (Grey Matter, 2018)
● Rambert Works: Ohad Naharin (Kamuyot, 2019)
● Rambert Works: Andrea Miller (Sama, 2019)
● Rambert Works: Marion Motin, (Rouge, 2019)
● Rambert Works: Micaela Taylor (Home, 2021)
AQA Dance GCSE
Performance
Knowledge, Understanding and Skills for Performance
● Contemporary Technique: Posture and Alignment class excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Balance class excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Coordination class excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Mobility and flexibility class excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Strength class excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Stamina class excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Turning class excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Jumping class excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Gesture class excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Transfer of weight class excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Dynamic variation class excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Pathways class excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Levels class excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Scale class excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Rhythm/Timing class excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Phrasing/Emphasis class excerpts
● Contemporary Technique: Communication of Choreographic Intent class excerpts
● Guided improvisations: Exploring different movement qualities
● Guided improvisations: Sensitivity to others
● Guided improvisations: Spatial pathways
● Guided improvisations: Timing
● Guided improvisations: Floorwork
● Guided improvisations: Gesture
Mental skills and attributes
● Dance as a Career: Interviews with Rambert dancers
● Interview with a Rehearsal Director
Safe working practices
● Contemporary Technique: Examples of cooling down
AQA Dance GCSE
Choreo- graphy
Responding to Stimulus
● Professional choreographers try a past GCSE paper
● Creating Movement From Stimuli (workflow for teachers)
● Guided Improvisations for generating original movement content
Choreographic content and devices
● Improvisation: 10 minute guided improvisations exploring choreographic choice-making
Choreographic process
● Choreographic process interviews with professional choreographers
● Professional choreographers try a past GCSE paper
● Choreographer’s Notebook: A student guide and log book for the creative process
Aural setting
● Playlist, including original compositions from Rambert musicians
Communication of choreographic intent
● Make it Yours: Workflow for teachers supporting students to hone choreographic choices
Documenting the choreography
● Choreographers Notebook (especially the Artist Statement Mindmap sections)
AQA Dance GCSE
Dance Appreciation
Critical appreciation of own work
Understanding the meaning of relevant performance terminology
● Dance class video excerpts indexed by subject
● Guided improvisations (encourages embodied experience of challenging terminology)
Understanding the meaning of relevant choreographic terminology
Set Work: A Linha Curva
● Rambert Works: A Linha Curva
● A Linha Curva-inspired Contemporary Technique Class
Pearson BTEC in Performing Arts Level 1/Level 2
Exploring the Performing Arts
● Behind the Scenes at Rambert: video tour of the Rambert building and departments
● Rambert Team: Interviews with staff from every department
● Dance as a Career: interviews with professional dancers
● Choreographic Process: interviews with professional choreographers
● Rambert Works: Explore highlights from the Rambert repertoire 1926-present day
Pearson BTEC in Performing Arts Level 1/Level 2
Developing Skills and Techniques in the Performing Arts
● Prepare Yourself: Interviews, templates and videos about warming up
● Contemporary technique: Full dance classes on video
● Improvisation: Practice dance skills and vocabulary through ten minute guided improvisations
● Choreography: Learn Your Tools
● Rehearsal Direction: Interview
● Rambert Dancers in Rehearsal
Pearson BTEC in Performing Arts Level 1/Level 2
Responding to a Brief
● Choreographer’s Notebook: A guide to creating original choreography and documenting the process
● Choreographic Process: interviews with professional choreographers
● Creating movement from stimuli: guided improvisations
● Creating movement from stimuli: workflow for teachers
● Make it Yours: Workflow for teachers supporting students to hone their choreographic choices
● Playlist of music, including original compositions by Rambert musicians