3.1 Performance

Students must develop and apply the knowledge, understanding and skills required to perform dance, as a soloist and in a duet/trio. The knowledge and understanding of physical skills, including: flexibility, strength, cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, agility, neuromuscular coordination and kinaesthetic awareness, underpin and inform the development of both the physical/technical and interpretative/performance skills outlined in:

Safe practice

Through learning how to perform and choreograph dance, students must develop and apply the following knowledge and understanding of safe practice:

  • awareness of correct alignment
  • technical accuracy
  • appropriate dancewear and presentation of self
  • a healthy approach to training, including lifestyle of dancer.

Performance in a solo

Students must develop and apply the knowledge, understanding and skills required to perform as a soloist in the style of a specified practitioner.

The practitioner must be selected from:

either

  • the choreographer of one of the prescribed set works located within an area of study, see Critical engagement

or

The selected practitioner can be from any area of study. Students can either use the same or a different practitioner to those selected for Component 2: Critical engagement.

The solo performance can be choreographed by the student, their teacher or a dance artist. It may also result from a collaboration between the student and teacher/dance artist.

The choreography of the solo performance should strive to encapsulate the style of the chosen practitioner. It does not, however, need to be a reconstruction of existing repertoire.

Students must develop and apply the following embodied knowledge, skills and understanding to perform as a soloist in the style of their selected practitioner.

Knowledge, understanding and skills of performance in relation to a specified practitioner
Physical/technical skills, including:
  • correct alignment
  • flexion
  • extension
  • rotation
  • whole body participation and/or isolation
  • transference of weight
  • locomotion
  • elevation
  • balance.
Spatial elements
  • spatial control including personal and stage, eg direction, levels, shape/form.
Dynamic elements
  • rhythmic control
  • dynamic variation.
Interpretative/performance skills (in order to communicate the dance idea(s) in a clear and considered manner), including:
  • projection
  • focus
  • expression
  • emphasis
  • timing
  • musicality.

Through engagement with the work of their selected practitioner and development and application of the above, students must be able to perform as a soloist for a minimum of two minutes in a live performance setting. The maximum duration of the complete dance must be no longer than three minutes.

Please see Assessment task 1: Solo performance in relation to a specified practitioner for details of the assessment task and Solo performance assessment grid (20 marks) for how the performance will be marked by examiners.

Documenting the solo performance

Students are required to write a Programme note, of no more than 150 words, which identifies the chosen practitioner and reveals an insight into the stylistic features explored. The Programme note can be written in collaboration with a teacher.

Please see Assessment components for details of the assessment task and Solo performance assessment grid (20 marks) for how the performance will be marked by examiners.

Performance within a quartet

Students must learn how to perform as part of a quartet.

The quartet performance can be choreographed by the student, their teacher or a dance artist. It may also result from a collaboration between the student and teacher/dance artist.

The dance can be performed in any dance style relevant to the defined genres, see Critical engagement.

There is no requirement for students to perform in the style of a specified practitioner from the set works or the areas of study. However, if they do:

  • the selected practitioner must be different to that selected for solo performance
  • the performance does not need to be a reconstruction of existing repertoire
  • the selected practitioner can be the same as or different to one of those selected for Component 2: Critical engagement.

Students must develop and apply the following embodied knowledge, understanding and skills to perform within a quartet.

Knowledge, understanding and skills within the context of a quartet linked to a style/genre
Physical/technical skills, including:
  • correct alignment
  • flexion
  • extension
  • rotation
  • whole body participation and/or isolation
  • transference of weight
  • locomotion
  • elevation
  • balance.
Spatial elements
  • spatial awareness (including sensitivity to other dancers).
Interpretative/performance skills, including:
  • projection
  • focus
  • expression
  • emphasis
  • timing
  • musicality.

If fewer than four students have entered for the assessment, your school/college may use additional non-examined students, including students from other year groups. It is important that the additional dancers are of an appropriate standard and have the physical maturity to complete the performance of the choreography.

Students must be able to perform in a quartet for a minimum of three minutes and a maximum of four minutes in a live performance setting.

Documenting the quartet performance

Students must write a Programme note, of no more than 150 words, which clearly references the style(s) (and the dance idea(s) if applicable) . The Programme note can be written in collaboration with a teacher.

Please see Assessment task 2: Performance within a quartet for details of the assessment task and Performance within a quartet assessment grid (20 marks) for how the performance will be marked by examiners.