On Monday 11th November, Leighton Park’s first cohort of GCSE dance students visited Theale Green for the day, to participate in a workshop delivered by experienced dance practitioner, Tory East. Amongst many accolades and a lifetime of experience, Tory is an AQA approved, GCSE set phrase trainer.
The first session was dedicated to learning two of the curriculum’s prescribed set phrases ‘Breathe’ and ‘Flux’, which each demonstrate how students can apply their knowledge, understanding and skills to perform choreographic content accurately.
Impressed with the ability of the class, Tory commented on how quickly students picked up the movement material. Year 10 student Vanya commented, “I found today really demanding, I have got to work on developing my movement memory so I can perform this as a soloist.”
It was clear that each student came away with distinct individual targets for improvement and an understanding on how to achieve these, as well as a positive outlook on their upcoming exams.
In the afternoon students had the opportunity to work with Year 11. Not only was this beneficial for Year 10 to see what they are aspiring to, but encouraged supportive teamwork. Adi remarked “It was helpful to work with like-minded students. Watching the Year 11s helped me appreciate what I am working towards.”
Tory spent time working on dynamic and expressive quality, discussing what the AQA exam board are looking for in assessment. Year 10 left the workshop knowing both set phrases and really understanding the expectations of this exam component. They are now clear on what must be developed in future lessons in relation to movement memory, physical, technical and expressive skill.
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