England · AQASyllabus
Dance syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the England Dancesyllabus, with a focused answer for each one. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions, and links to related dot points. Written by Claude Opus 4.8, Anthropic's latest AI.
Choreography (Component 1)
Module overview →- How do aural setting and staging support and complete a piece of choreography?Aural setting and staging: choosing and using accompaniment, sound and silence, and the physical setting (lighting, set, costume, staging configuration) so they support the movement and the choreographic intention.9 min answer →
- How do choreographic devices and structures shape a dance into a coherent whole?Choreographic devices and structures: unison, canon, contrast, climax, highlights, repetition and motif, used within structures such as binary, ternary, rondo, narrative and episodic form to give a dance shape and meaning.9 min answer →
- How do you develop a short motif into rich, varied movement material?Motif and motif development: creating a movement motif from a stimulus and manipulating it through changes of action, dynamics, space and relationships to generate varied, coherent material.9 min answer →
- How do you move from a stimulus to a finished, coherent piece of choreography?The choreographic process: responding to a stimulus, generating and selecting movement material, structuring the work, and refining it through improvisation, rehearsal and editing into a complete solo or group dance.9 min answer →
Critical engagement (Component 2)
Module overview →- How do you analyse and interpret a dance work to explain how meaning is made?Analysing and interpreting dance: describing the constituent features (movement, dancers, physical setting, aural setting) and interpreting how they combine to create meaning and communicate the choreographic intention.9 min answer →
- How do you critically appreciate and reflect on your own performance and choreography?Critical appreciation of own work: reflecting on and evaluating your own performance and choreography, identifying strengths and areas for improvement and justifying choices against the choreographic intention.9 min answer →
- How do you evaluate professional dance works in their context?Evaluating professional works: making and justifying critical judgements about professional choreography and performance, set in their cultural, historical and choreographic context, supported by specific evidence.9 min answer →
Performance (Component 1)
Module overview →- How does a dancer condition the body to meet the physical demands of performance?Conditioning for dance: building strength, flexibility, mobility, stamina and core stability through targeted training, with appropriate nutrition, hydration, rest and recovery to support safe, sustained performance.9 min answer →
- How do expressive and physical skills turn accurate movement into a communicative performance?Expressive and physical skills: musicality, focus, projection, facial expression, phrasing, sensitivity to other dancers and spatial awareness, combined with extension, isolation, mobility and control, to communicate the choreographic intention.9 min answer →
- What does performing in a quartet demand beyond performing a solo?Performing in a quartet: working as one of four dancers, maintaining spatial relationships, unison and canon, timing, contact and sensitivity to others while sustaining individual technical and expressive quality.9 min answer →
- What technical skills and safe-practice habits underpin a strong, injury-free dance performance?Technical skills and safe practice: posture, alignment, balance, coordination, control, flexibility, mobility, strength and stamina, and the warm-up, cool-down, hydration and floor-awareness habits that keep a dancer safe.9 min answer →
Set works and areas of study (Component 2)
Module overview →- What do you need to know about Appalachian Spring (Martha Graham, 1944) as an optional set work?Appalachian Spring (Martha Graham, 1944): an optional set work within the origins of American modern dance, its choreographic intention, structure, Graham technique, aural setting, physical setting and context.11 min answer →
- How do you study a set work in its full cultural, historical and choreographic context?Contextual study of a set work: examining the choreographic intention, constituent features and the cultural, historical, social and production context that shaped a set work, and applying this in analysis and evaluation.9 min answer →
- What do you need to know about Giselle (1841) as an optional set work in the Romantic ballet period?Giselle (Coralli and Perrot, 1841): an optional set work within the Romantic ballet period, its choreographic intention, two-act structure, movement, aural setting, physical setting and Romantic context.11 min answer →
- Who are the key practitioners in your areas of study, and what defines their styles?Key practitioners and styles: the choreographers, performers and companies central to the areas of study, their distinctive choreographic styles, influences and signature works.9 min answer →
- What do you need to know about Rambert as the compulsory area of study and set work?Rambert (Rambert Dance Company): the compulsory area of study, its history and development, key practitioners and the compulsory set work, including its choreographic features and context.9 min answer →
- What do you need to know about Rooster (Christopher Bruce, 1991) as the compulsory set work?Rooster (Christopher Bruce, 1991): the compulsory set work within the Rambert area of study, its choreographic intention, structure, movement, aural setting and physical setting, and the context that shaped it.11 min answer →
- What do you need to know about Singin' in the Rain (1952) as an optional set work?Singin' in the Rain (Kelly and Donen, 1952): an optional set work within the development of American jazz dance, its intention, key numbers, movement, aural and physical setting, and the role of film.11 min answer →
- What do you need to know about Sutra (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, 2008) as an optional set work?Sutra (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, 2008): an optional set work within the independent contemporary dance scene in Britain, its intention, collaboration, structure, movement, physical setting and aural setting.11 min answer →
- How did American jazz dance develop, and what defines it as an area of study?The development of American jazz dance (1940 to 1975): its roots, key practitioners and works, defining choreographic features, and the cultural and historical context that shaped the style.9 min answer →