Barking Abbey School

Philosophy
The aim of the Dance Department is to offer high quality Dance provision throughout the school curriculum and extra curricular programme. The delivery of all sessions has a practical focus to ensure students are engaged at a level most suitable for their bodies at that time. We believe and are proud that we impact upon the dance education of every individual and equip dancers with the tools to become better dance technicians in the future.


	We also focus on raising the profile and awareness of Dance as an academic subject, therefore we train thinking dancers. We encourage mind, body connectivity to enable students to perform, debate, analyse and write about Dance.

Our ultimate aim is to train artists to realise their creativity and encourage them to embark upon the right pathway for them. The ethos of the dance department is to inspire young people to become passionate about dance.

Dance Provision

Due to the increasing awareness of Dance within Barking Abbey School we have two specialist dance teachers which ensures Dance is taught in its broadest content.

Our main focus is on Contemporary techniques such as Cunningham, Release Based and Limon. Supplementing these techniques we draw upon elements of Ballet, African, South Asian, Capoeira and Urban genres.

Alongside technique sessions, students are expected to create both solo and group choreographies working from various stimuli. Students are guided through this process by participating in choreographic workshops delivered by dance department staff and visiting professional dance artists. This process is also enhanced by studying professional dance works throughout several decades and debates are encouraged to analyse the various dance ideas.

The Dance department currently offers many qualifications that are both academic and vocational:

Key Stage 3
Dance is currently taught in PE in eight week blocks.

Key Stage 4
GCSE Dance
BTEC Performing Arts Dance

Key Stage 5
AS Level Dance and A2 Level Dance
Dance Academy

Extra Curricular Activities
Dance Leaders Award
Youth Dance Groups

Alongside all of the extra curricular activities mentioned above the Dance Department offers Theory Revision classes for GCSE Dance students and a range of dance techniques for all ages.

Dance Department Projects
The Dance Department at Barking Abbey School is recognised nationally and has been involved in high profile projects such as The Royal Ballet School project with Dagenham Park School last year.

In June 2004, School Standards Minister, David Miliband asked The Royal Ballet School to engage in a new Dance Partnership and Access programme. Following a rigorous national selection process Barking Abbey Specialist Sports College and Dagenham Park Specialist Performing Arts College were chosen to engage in an in-depth partnership project with The Royal Ballet Upper School during the academic year 2005/6.

This involved sixth form students who were studying the highly regarded BTEC National Performing Arts: Dance and A-Level Dance courses currently taught at Barking Abbey and Dagenham Park. Through the project our sixth form students from the borough accessed the excellent, first class teaching, training and facilities of this national vocational ballet school and worked alongside The Royal Ballet School students. The partnership took the form of a choreographic project over two terms with the internationally renowned choreographer / dancer Kenneth Tharp OBE. The finished choreographic work was be performed at The Royal Ballet School in Covent Garden, The Barbican Theatre and new local venue, the Broadway Theatre in February 2006.

Working in a partnership scheme such as this with The Royal Ballet raised our students’ aspirations, standard of dance and provided our students with an insight into the level of professionalism required by the Performing Arts industry. Obviously both schools are very proud to have been chosen for such an exciting and auspicious project. It is another clear indicator of the quality of Performing Arts teaching in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.