www.cheshiredance.org

ConfiDance The Cheshire Dance Education Programme

Do you need support in delivering a creative curriculum?

Can you expand the support you are offering to children with different learning needs?

Do you want help in engaging hard to reach or supporting gifted and talented children?

The Cheshire Dance Education Team delivers dance in and out of school, supports training for non-specialist school teachers as well as experienced dance teachers and artists. We deliver dance from nursery right through to GCSE and Higher Education dance programmes, as well as work with senior management to ensure dance is adding value in Ofsted assessments, strategic and policy developments including School Improvement Plans. Perhaps you’re looking for a dance artist to support you with a scheme of work, a primary school teacher wanting support in delivering dance or assistance with your arts activity week. Cheshire Dance can support your educational goals and provide dance to suit all ages and abilities.

The Cheshire Dance Education Team covers a broad mix of dance styles and the full breadth of knowledge of dance within the education system at all levels. All tutors are CRB checked and covered by Cheshire Dance insurance and safeguarding policies.

Introduction This booklet includes a range of workshops and training we can provide but if there is something else you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact us 01606 861770.

Cheshire Dance can deliver dance workshops with the following aims or styles

• Choreography

• Different styles

• Cross curricular activities

◦ e.g. literacy / numeracy / science / citizenship

• Cultural awareness

• Health, nutrition and fitness

• Olympic Values

• Supporting Young Ambassadors and Dance Leaders The Cheshire Dance Education Team has a sound knowledge of the National Curriculum’s aims and objectives. No matter what the genre, we aim to focus on the following at each key stage. EYFS and KS1/2: ConfiDance can expand pupils’ knowledge of simple movement patterns and assist them in furthering their understanding of creating, performing and appreciating dance. The programme also involves developing a comprehensive knowledge of different stimuli and how these can be used effectively. KS3/4: The programme will begin to further develop individuals’ knowledge of a range of dance styles, allowing their understanding of motif develop for choreography to be truly inclusive. Pupils will have the chance to expand on the requirements of skill and technique at this level with the assistance of highly trained dance artists. GCSE Dance: At this level ConfiDance becomes a more intense programme. Dance Artists ensure choreography, performance and appreciation are fully understood and embraced, along with the necessary skills. Individuals are also given the opportunity to explore creatively and concisely their requirements to succeed at this level. A Level and BTEC Dance: The ConfiDance Education Team will focus on providing high quality experiences in various dance styles and techniques to ensure individuals have the opportunity to expand their versatility at this level. The programme will also encourage students to use research methods to gain a comprehensive understanding of dance history, choreographers and companies allowing for eloquent and knowledgeable young artists to develop in preparation for Higher Education.

Curriculum sessions and workshops

‘ConfiDance gives our schools high standards of staff development in dance

that impacts both on PE delivery and cross-curricular projects. Working in

partnership with Cheshire Dance has helped us ensure high quality delivery and

safe pathways for our children into accessible dance activities.’

Chris Story, Partnership Development Manager,

Vale Royal School Sport Partnership

These are some of the workshops and opportunities for children and young people:

Workshop Delivery

Introducing Dance • Introduction to Contemporary Dance

(KS 3&4)

• Developing Contact Skills (KS 3&4)

• Dance in a Day (KS 1&2)

• World Dance

Dance in the Curriculum • Preparing for the GCSE Set Study

(KS 3&4)

• Outdoor Learning (KS 1&2)

• Assessment for Learning (KS 1&2)

• Developing Numeracy and Literacy Skills through Dance (KS 1-4)

• GCSE and A Level

Early Years Foundation Stage

• Developing Creative Movement Play

• Outdoor Learning

Dance Health & Wellbeing

• Classroom Workout (KS 1&2)

• Improving Health (KS 1-4)

• Creative Play Outside (KS 1&2)

• Arts or Sports Week (KS 1-4)

Creating & Performing

• Choreographing a Solo or Group Dance (KS 3&4)

• Creative Streetdance (KS 1-4)

• Music and Dance Residency (KS 1-4)

• Workshops with Professional Dance Companies (GCSE and A Level support)

Special Education

• SEN

• Gifted and Talented

• EYFS through to KS4

Cheshire Dance understands the need for teachers to remain up to date with current dance trends and keep themselves fed. We offer a range of Continual Professional Development for non-specialist dance teachers, P.E teachers and specialist dance teachers.

Training days can take place:

• At your school as bespoke sessions on dates suitable to you.

• In central locations where teachers from different schools come together (advertised)

• As full or ½ days as well as twilight sessions We offer training in a range of subjects that can be adapted to suit level and experience. Again, if there is something else you have in mind please get in touch.

Dance at KS1 and 2

• Encouraging dance skills and creativity in your students, exploring a range of dance tools and appropriate themes for this age range.

• Classroom workout! How dance can be delivered in a classroom setting, utilising the space available.

• Cross Curriculum Projects: How dance can help further children’s understanding of subject areas from across the curriculum including literacy, numeracy and science.

• Training and support for teachers using the Top Dance Cards dance resources

Dance at KS3/4, GCSE and BTEC

• Introduction to Contemporary Dance and dance technique skills

• What is Motif Development?

• Using different stimulus for dance to inspire choreography

• Using repertoire at a starting point for motif development

• Support for solo and group choreography in exams tasks

• Learning the GCSE set studies

Teacher Training

‘During the INSET, all staff, including support staff, were trained by an extremely enthusiastic professional who inspired us to enjoy and achieve by taking dance across the curriculum.’

Christine Norman, Headteacher Winnington Park Primary School

Contemporary dance: A modern dance style using various techniques to enable a physical training of the whole body. The style does not include a strict syllable of steps, and often exercises and routines will be modified or set by the teacher or leading artist to suit the bodies of the group they are working with. Contemporary dance lends itself to encouraging creative work in which participants can learn skills of choreography alongside technique. Creative dance: During our creative classes, our experienced dance artists will guide participants through a creative contemporary dance session, leading warm ups and travelling sequences, and work with the group to choreograph dance pieces to be performed at informal sharings or showcases.

Jive and Lindy Hop: The root of all swing dancing, Lindy Hop enables young people to learn steps such as the Charleston and try their hand at partner dancing! Jive and Lindy Hop also helps develop skills in rhythm and timing.

Samba: A lively dance originating from Brazil, Samba is a dance associated with carnival and celebration. Participants will learn samba steps and explore Samba music and its rhythms.

Capoeira: An Afro-Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, dance and music. Participants will learn the fundamental movements such as ‛ginga’ and basic defense and attacks through games and sequences. African Dance: Learn the basic, traditional African dance steps whilst exploring its history and music.

Classical Indian Dance: Explores the basic movements of Bharata Natyam and enables participants to develop their own movements and stories utilising what they have learnt.

Ballet: Participants will learn the basic ballet steps and positions, participants will focus on a famous ballet story and utilise the movements they learn to create their own versions!

Breakdance: Learn basic steps and power moves which are the foundations of this style. Participants will have the opportunity to create their own breakdance sequences using the moves they’ve learnt.

Different Styles

Cheshire Dance can support you with virtually any dance genre, subject to availability.

Cheshire Dance has a history of working in partnership with professional dance companies and choreographers to provide education workshops and training opportunities. These have included:

As well as workshops for young people, Cheshire Dance can provide training for teachers with professional companies.

Cheshire Dance can liaise with the company for you and organise one of their artists to deliver a workshop in your school.

Experiences with Professional Dance Companies and artists

• Rambert Dance Company

• Richard Alston Dance Company

• Yael Flexer

• The Body Cartography Project

• Company Chameleon

We can provide sessions outside of the curriculum time, including:

• Breakfast clubs

• Dinner Clubs

• Lunch time activity

• After school activity We are familiar with funding systems such as Sports Unlimited funding, which may help towards covering your costs for the sessions. Other extra curricular activity could include:

Arts Week Cheshire Dance can provide the dance element for your arts activity week, either as a one off or in collaboration with other artists through the week.

Sports week Cheshire Dance is committed to engaging young people in healthy, physical activities and can provide dance focusing on fitness and health. Our 20 past 12 initiative takes place on the Friday of National Sports week each year in early July.

School productions Providing young people with the opportunity to perform can enhance their confidence and leave them with a memorable experience! Cheshire Dance can assist in the choreography of a school dance production as well as integrated movement in plays and musicals.

Out of Hours Learning

Boys Dance Cheshire Dance can deliver one off sessions or projects to engage boys in dance styles such as breakdance, street, contemporary or ballet.

Gifted and Talented Workshops designed to challenge your more able students. Cheshire Dance works in partnership with The Lowry to signpost gifted young dancers towards the Centre for Advanced Training and other progression routes in to a full time career in dance.

Multi-disciplinary Projects Cheshire Dance can deliver workshops in collaboration with other artists including film, music, technology and drama.

Contact work with young people Exploring how to introduce safe and appropriate contact work with young people, starting at understanding how to shift and support each other’s weight through to more complex weight bearing and lifts.

Creative Street Dance Learn basic street dance moves and how to encourage young people to use them as a creative tool for choreography.

Improvisation Techniques How to use improvisation to encourage creativity in a safe and structured environment. for young people

Dance and Health How to plan and deliver a session focusing on raising fitness levels in young people and raising awareness of developing a more healthy lifestyle.

Safe Practice Keep up to date with current dance warm up techniques and gain an understanding of what is appropriate for different age and client groups.

Site Specific Dance No space to dance in? Explore how outside spaces can inspire choreography in a safe and effective way.

Other Specialist areas

Inspired by our original ‘ConfiDance’ programme, which has involved more than 100

Primary, Secondary and Special schools from across Cheshire since 2005.

Confidance can involve every teacher in the school (primary / special) and have a

fundamental impact on both dance delivery and other areas of the curriculum, including for

example work with ‘Gifted and Talented’ pupils, ‘Assessment for Learning’, supporting

‘Newly Qualified Teachers’ and ‘How to run successful After School Clubs’. 3 Day Programme

• One half day INSET or two twilight INSET sessions: Understand the rationale for dance and the building blocks for creative dance; develop a shared understanding of and language of dance; and plan for dance sessions linked to the curriculum themes of performance, composition and appreciation.

• Resource/training pack.

• Two full-day sessions where the dance artists worked in school alongside the staff and their individual classes in which the planning from the initial INSET sessions was brought to life by the dance artists. Class teachers and teaching assistants participated in the sessions, giving them an opportunity to observe good practice.

• A final twilight INSET session based on evaluation of each school’s activity, where recommendations were agreed and planning was broadened out to create a unit of work for each class in the school.

1 Day Programme

• Three sessions working in school alongside the staff and their individual classes

• A specifically written resource/training pack, a copy for every teacher.

• A twilight INSET session

Project Design Example

Cheshire Dance leads the artistic provision and support of dance across Cheshire and the sub-region. It aims to fully awaken the art form of dance as inspiration to create, learn and experience. Working in partnership, Cheshire

Dance is committed to increasing access and transforming lives through dance.

As one of the first dance development agencies in this country, Cheshire Dance has a long history of providing high quality dance training experiences for both teachers and their pupils as part of a broad programme of dance opportunities that spans the arts, community, health and educational sectors. Cheshire Dance is a registered charity. It is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation and is the leading dance delivery body for both Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East Councils. It is a member of the National Dance Teachers Association, the Foundation for Community Dance and is a North West Youth Dance Partner with Youth Dance England and The Lowry. It is ‘Positive About Disabled People’ and supports Youth Voice’ through Hear by Right validation. Cheshire Dance specialises in dance participation in all its forms. More specifically we deliver :-

• Dance with Young People both in and outside Education

www.cheshiredance.org/youngpeople

• Dance and Health – addressing identified health inequalities. Working with people with physical or learning disabilities, older people and the frail elderly, early years, people at risk or involved in the criminal justice system.

www.cheshiredance.org/health.html

• Continuing Professional Development for Artists, Teachers, Youth / Health / Care Workers

www.cheshiredance.org/practitioners.html

• Large Scale Performance Projects in theatre and outdoor spaces, merging professional and participatory work.

www.cheshiredance.org/performance.html

About Us

Please print or Copy/Paste the Dance Activity Request overleaf and send to : Lesley Ann Parry, Office Manager Cheshire Dance Winsford Library High Street Winsford Cheshire CW7 2AS lesleyann@cheshiredance.org

Alternatively, please call 01606 861770 to discuss your requirements.

Example fees Length of workshop Rate 1 Hour £40 Half Day (3 hours) £125 Full Day (6 hours) £250 Week residency: 1 Dance Artist 2 Dance Artists

£800 £1450

Specialist Skills e.g. AQA Assessor support or workshops with Professional Companies

Rates vary up to £600 / Day

All rates include admin and tutor fees.

What Next?

Dance Activity Request Form Lead Contact Name

School Name Name Address Postcode Contact Tel. E-mail Brief statement describing activity requested Possible Number of Participants: Age Range / Key Stage: Access Needs: Duration e.g. 2 hours x 12 weeks, 3 full days: Preferred dates / times: Previous dance activity (please circle)

None Some Experienced How did you hear about ConfiDance / Cheshire Dance? (Please circle)

ConfiDance leaflet Classes leaflet Web Word of mouth Other

We aim to start work on your request the same day. It may take however up to 2 weeks to find the right practitioner with availability when you wan them. We will

keep you informed of our progress and contact you with any queries along the way.