The aims of the subject

For the purposes of the National Curriculum, the subject of dance is currently identified within the study of physical education. Its place in the curriculum in schools may vary from being within a performing, expressive or creative arts structure to being part of the physical education programme. The underpinning rationale for dance in schools should be as an art form that contributes to the artistic, aesthetic, cultural, social and physical education of pupils.

In the education of a child, dance provides a distinctive area of experience, giving learners the opportunity to:

• Movement symbolically as a means of communication within a variety of cultural, aesthetic and artistic contexts
• Use the body as a medium for personal expression
• Extend individuals' range of movement vocabulary
• Improve physical competence in performance
• Make individual responses to a variety of sources and to employ different approaches to choreographing and presenting work
• Develop an understanding of different artistic traditions through practical and theoretical experience of dances from a range of contexts
• Develop creative, imaginative, emotional and intellectual abilities
• Learn to be open-minded, to question, to challenge, to take risks, to develop as independent thinkers
• To work collaboratively with other individuals