Pre-Prep
Dance is timetabled in the Ballard Pre-Prep schedule each week. Pupils develop fundamental movement skills, become increasingly competent and confident and access a broad range of opportunities to extend their agility, balance and coordination, individually and with others. They have a lot of fun learning, creating and performing dances together.
All children participate in performances, including the annual Nativity, Summer Showcase and the through-school dance production for pupils in Years 1-11, where everyone is welcome to participate and perform. We get involved in World Book Day, which includes a dance down our catwalk for all our fabulously dressed pupils!
Lower Prep
Lower Prep pupils receive a course in dance from our specialist dance teacher in our well-equipped dance studio. They continue to apply and develop a broad range of skills, learning how to use them in different ways and to link them to make actions and sequences of movement. They enjoy communicating, collaborating and creating movement vocabulary with each other. Pupils develop an understanding of how to improve their performance and learn how to evaluate their work. They grow in confidence and recognise their own success.
In addition to the dance programme, Lower prep pupils also enjoy an ‘Expressive Arts’ programme, working across dance, drama and music to prepare a range of performances including an annual production. Recent opportunities have included a colourful production of ‘Finding Nemo’ and ‘The Lion King’ and a range of related workshops on a Mayflower Theatre Day.
We also run a through-school dance production for pupils in Years 1-11, where everyone is welcome to participate and perform. Dance scholars from the senior school often support our younger pupils in their dance club and the opportunity for these pupils to work and perform alongside older dancers provides both inspiration and challenge.
Upper Prep
All pupils receive three half-terms of dance teaching as part of their Drama and Dance Rotation. This continues to develop their skills and knowledge in performance, choreography and appreciation. Pupils work with each other around a theme and develop key skills such as; communication, teamwork, problem solving and self-improvement. Pupils develop self-confidence and self-esteem and an ability to respond creatively to challenges throughout the dance lessons. Explored styles include Contemporary Hip Hop, Breakdance, Musical Theatre, Capoeira, Parkour, Traditional African Dance and Jazz.
We also run a through-school dance production for pupils in Years 1-11 in alternate years, where everyone is welcome to participate and perform.
Our established Junior Dance Company is open to those who wish to develop their Contemporary dance skills further, perform in a number of opportunities within school and the wider community throughout the year. This is open to Year 6-8 through audition or invitation.
Senior
Pupils in the Senior School have a wide range of opportunities available to them within the Dance department. Our Pre-GCSE Dance course is designed to prepare pupils by developing both practical and theoretical skills, focusing on enhancing technical and performance ability, building analytical and reflective thinking, developing leadership and teamwork skills, and deepening knowledge and understanding of the art of dance. This strong foundation enables pupils to plan, create, and perform with confidence and insight. It is this variety of opportunities that leads to great success in GCSE and beyond, with the School maintaining a 100% pass rate at GCSE Dance (A–C) for several years.
Our established Senior Dance Company, open to pupils in Years 9–11 by audition or invitation, offers those with a passion for dance the chance to further develop their skills and perform in a range of events both within the School and in the wider community. We also have a Junior Dance Company for pupils in Years 6–8, providing similar opportunities for younger dancers to grow, shine, and gain valuable performance experience.