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In School
However, there is no denying that GCSE dance was far
harder than I anticipated. My struggle with performing
lingered and I took an instant dislike to choreography
leading me to spend countless additional hours in the
studio prior to our moderation. To this day I can remember
the whole dance to our set study ‘Find It’and the repetitive
music to ‘Overdrive’ by the infamous Richard Alston, a
piece we put together early in year ten, still haunts me.
But, some of my fondest memories come from the time I
spent in the studio over these two years and it was with a
heavy heart and a faint feeling of regret that I decided not
to take Dance on to A Level.
GCSE results came and went and before I knew it school
started again. Although I continued to dance out of school,
and even began to help with teaching, my commitment to
dance in school lapsed during the first hectic months of A
Levels. But a longing for the unmistakable fug of the dance
studio drew me back in. After Christmas I joined Evolve
when a space opened up and it was then that I began to
work closely with Jasmine Handford under the towering
six-foot four figure of Mr Stenburg on a more classical
partner piece. This was by far the most challenging but
enjoyable project I have ever done in regard to dance and
Mr Stenburg’s seemingly impossible expectations forced
me, against my better judgement, to join an actual gym in
order to improve my upper body strength. Over the next
year my dance partnership with Jasmine flourished into a
happy friendship and changed my experience with dance
completely. She was consistently patient with my far
inferior abilities and I feel honestly lucky to have had the
opportunity to have danced with someone so talented.
Year thirteen flew by in a mirage of UCAS applications
and exams but the time I spent with Evolve provides
another collection of memories that I will retain. A new
and reformed group emerged from the ashes of the old
and we almost immediately became friends. However, this
partially contributed to our own detriment and on a few
occasions we were called to the studio before school by
Mrs Hindley, for talking too much in rehearsals! Despite
this we managed to focus enough to reach the regional
platform of Youth Dance England, although the risky
inclusion of braces in our costume choice threatened to
stop us, and I feel immensely proud of us a group for the
hardwork that we undertook to ensure this. Even following
our dissolution at the end of the spring term we all remain
in frequent contact proving that friendships forged in the
chaos of the studio do endure.
It is with a feeling of elation that I leave the dance
department at the end of my final year as there is no doubt
in my mind that I will be back soon to see what another
year under the fearless command of Mrs Hindley will
produce.
Michael Wraight Y13
Year 7 Dance: Mechanical
Advantage
On Wednesday 5
th
December 2012 the whole of Year 7
took part in ‘Mechanical Advantages’. We combined Dance
withTechnology as all of the four classes based their dance
on what we have been learning in lessons.
7A based theirs on levers and linkages, 7B based theirs
on gears, 7C based theirs on pulleys and 7D based theirs
on cams and followers. We had rehearsals all day on
performance day. We practised transitions, entrances and
our classes’ dances. Also we all got to see each others’
dances for the first time.
Our class, 7C, didpulleys.We foundout fromour homework
that these are devices that have a piece of rope through it
and is used to lift things. We had twelve lessons to create
a dance to show the effect of pulleys. We split into small
groups and chose words from our homework research and
created actions for them. From these actions we created
a dance. After this, we gathered as a class and the sixth
formers created a group piece for us to do together. We
then started to bind the two dances together.
As the weeks moved on we added another group piece
and worked to perfect our whole dance. We had to think
about the different aspects of dance such as spacing,
levels, energy and timing.
By the time we performed our dance, it was very dynamic
and fluid as we were constantly moving in a set pattern
and the dance flowed from one part ot the next really
well. This movement gave the dance lots of energy and
the music helped with this. We were constantly moving
whether it was on the spot or around the stage.
Aesthetically we had very good feedback from the
audience about how good it looked. Different classes used
different t-shirts to demonstrate what their dance was
about which was enough to show the idea. We didn’t need
additional props
The dance project was educational and I now know a lot
more about mechanical devices. It felt amazing when
everybody clapped; overall I think that we did very well
and had a good time dancing.
Joe Poots, Mila Welch and Polly Spratley Y7
