Dance

This unit challenges Year 6 students to create sophisticated narrative dances exploring themes of rivalry, conflict and resolution through the lens of gang culture and opposition. Using drama-inspired techniques, students develop advanced composition skills including contrast, formations and partner contact work, whilst building confidence in expressive performance. The unit culminates in polished group performances that integrate movement, self-created soundscapes and theatrical expression.

This unit uses the dramatic historical narrative of the Titanic to develop students' ability to communicate complex emotions, social dynamics, and character perspectives through dance. By exploring authentic historical context alongside advanced choreographic techniques, students engage with how movement can tell powerful stories that honour real events whilst developing sophisticated performance skills appropriate for upper Key Stage 2.

This unit takes Year 6 students on a chronological journey through 20th-century dance styles, using movement to explore cultural history and develop sophisticated choreographic skills. By experiencing the distinctive characteristics of each decade from the 1920s through the 1970s, students develop historical empathy alongside advanced dance techniques. The unit uniquely combines structured style learning with chance choreography methods, empowering students to create meaningful group performances that bridge past and present.

This unit uses Victorian history as a rich stimulus for developing sophisticated choreographic skills in Year 6 students. By blending historical knowledge with dance composition techniques, students explore how movement can communicate stories, emotions, and social contexts from the past. The progressive introduction of chance choreography methods challenges students to think creatively whilst developing collaboration, evaluation, and performance skills essential for upper Key Stage 2.

This unit immerses Year 6 students in Brazilian carnival culture through authentic Samba dance, combining technical skill development with cultural appreciation and creative expression. Students progress from learning fundamental rhythmic patterns to creating and performing their own Samba school choreography, developing both physical control and cultural understanding. The unit celebrates diversity and heritage whilst building confidence in performance, collaboration, and artistic interpretation.

This unit challenges Year 6 students to master technical dance vocabulary - tension, extension, dynamics - whilst exploring two culturally distinct forms: the traditional Māori Haka and contemporary street dance. Students develop both physical prowess and cultural sensitivity as they learn to tell stories through powerful, intentional movement. The dual-focus structure allows students to experience how different dance traditions use the body to convey meaning, emotion and narrative.

This unit introduces Year 6 students to the powerful Māori tradition of the Haka whilst developing sophisticated choreographic skills. By starting with authentic cultural movement, students explore how gesture, voice, and emotion combine to tell stories through dance. The unit uniquely balances respectful cultural appreciation with creative choreography, progressing from learning traditional movements to creating original performances using advanced compositional techniques.

This unit takes Year 6 students on a sophisticated journey from mastering rhythmic and structural dance elements to using movement as a powerful tool for social storytelling and advocacy. By building technical competence in rhythm, dynamics, canon, and characterisation, students develop the expressive vocabulary needed to tackle complex themes of bullying, empathy, and standing up for others. The unit uniquely bridges performance craft with personal, social and emotional learning, positioning dance as both an art form and a medium for meaningful communication.

This unit challenges Year 6 students to explore abstract concepts - democracy, tolerance, rule of law, and mutual respect - through physical expression and collaborative choreography. By transforming values into movement, students develop sophisticated dance skills whilst engaging with citizenship themes in a uniquely embodied way. The progressive introduction of choreographic devices ensures students move from personal interpretation to polished group performance.

This unit enables Year 6 students to explore the profound human experiences of World War 2 through expressive dance and choreographic techniques. By combining historical understanding with physical storytelling, students develop both their technical dance skills and their capacity to communicate complex emotions and narratives through movement. The cross-curricular approach deepens historical empathy whilst building sophisticated choreographic abilities appropriate for upper Key Stage 2.