Dance Academy Curriculum
Aim: To develop students as elite and versatile performers.
Providing performance opportunities including:
- 2x annual performances:
- In-house: Barking Abbey Spring Dance Showcase
- Barking Abbey End of Year Summer Showcase – Our usual Theatre venue for this has closed down, new Theatre pending
- Studio shows with Boy Blue
- Bi-annual A Night with Boy Blue show at the Barbican Centre
- The Barbican Associate Schools
- Dance Competitions
Develop students’ physical, technical and expressive skills through small self-managed group/individual sessions and within Monday/Wednesday sessions.
Bespoke self-managed strength and conditioning programme, that may include sessions led by a qualified staff or Strength and Conditioning coaches.
Access to physiotherapist for assessment and treatments.
Audition technique and preparation; in house, invited guest artists; for professional jobs.
Audition opportunities for Boy Blue Youth, Centre for Advanced Training Schemes at Trinity Laban; Homenation; HydroGen UK, Lit Youth and Konverse Dance Crew.
Professional work opportunities.
One to one mentoring and target setting.
Aim: To nurture students' individual artistry and enable creative outlets to support wellbeing.
Modules will explore:
- Choreography- standard and conceptual
- Creative processes- for stage, for camera/film, site specific, for a brief, etc
- Notation and archiving choreography
- Creative exploration
- Wellbeing will underpin one to one mentoring and target setting to support creative development
Aim: To develop knowledge and skills in a breadth of Dance areas to develop character and transferable skills to sustain a successful career within any field.
Modules will explore the below foci by providing workshops with professional experts within each area and projects within professional settings (theatres/sets/companies) for students to undertake these roles:
- Movement direction
- Stage Management
- Technical staff- Lighting, sound
Students will also have opportunities to develop knowledge and skills in the below Dance fields:
- Dance journalism
- Education teams- teaching, outreach, etc
- Instructor qualifications- exercise to music/fitness
- Students will be supported in developing knowledge and application in the below areas:
- Social media and content creation- how to be safe online weaved through creating a Dance Portfolio
- CV writing and portfolio development
Students will receive one to one mentoring on Post 18 pathways, target setting and career development.