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REVIEWSDANCING SCIENCEThis is an extract from an article which appeared in the May/June 2007 issue of Science Primary Review (issue 98). It was written by Nancy Bilderbeck. She was the Primary Science Teacher of The Year in 2004. There are seven dance topics: sound; light; forces and friction; the sun, earth and moon; reversible and irreversible changes; and making and changing sound and circuits. These units are linked to the National Curriculum programmes of study. Each topic is subdivided into a number of dance sequences each with a clear science teaching objective. For example, the topic on sound has a warm up followed by 6 further dance activities. Many of the dance sequences, called physical activities, are accompanied by a video clip. These have been designed to help prepare for the session, rather than for the pupils to view. As a non dancer myself I found these very valuable, wishing there was a clip for every dance. For those interested, the CD ROM contains background information as well as supporting research into the effectiveness this programme has had in increasing test marks. I feel this is a unique resource which provides children to experience science in an imaginative way. It certainly ticks the cross curricular links box! |
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NRG: BE HEALTHY THROUGH DANCE
A high quality interactive resource such as this will undoubtedly help dance educators in their endeavour to meet the essential requirements for high quality dance. By Rachael Jefferson-Buchanan NRG Article - Animated Aware of their fast-growing reputation and pioneering work in Dance Science, Hampshire Dance invited Laban to become research partners. Together the two organisations jointly devised the NRG Youth Dance and Health Project, which was aimed at 11-14 year olds. The project was placed in schools within curriculum time, in order to ensure the inclusion of participants who may not normally choose dance as an activity. This approach enabled 348 young people to participate across nine different schools. Right from the outset we wanted the young people to engage in a positive, creative and enjoyable dance experience. It would be an opportunity for them to feel the physical benefits of taking part, whilst at the same time develop their understanding of the body and how to stay healthy. |
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WHEELLER PLAYS EXEMPLIFIED
The temptation is, of course, to say “At last, a resource – it’s great!” simply because of the lack of any other resources with exemplar material of performance. Fortunately, it is great. The ten young actors are splendid. It is like watching the dream GCSE group. Although the target audience is exam groups (GCSE and A / AS Level), I have used the DVD with some of my Year 9s who are studying didactic theatre. We use Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road as part of the scheme and my students have to learn and perform a monologue spoken by one of the characters, Nutjob. It was good to see it included here. It gave them plenty to talk about after they had performed their own work. I was particularly impressed with the car crash sequence from Legal Weapon II; the wanton violence on the screen brilliantly representing the violence of a car crash. It won’t make too much difference if your students are not familiar with the plays as the DVD gives examples of techniques which they should be able to employ in their own work; skills beyond the naturalistic, soap-style of performance which we all get a little tired of. - Clive Hulme, Teacing Drama Magazine April 2007
If you have ever taught or directed any of Mark Wheeller's plays, then you will know how useful they are for all years but especially for GCSE. If this is the case then you should buy this DVD. - Kenneth Taylor, Drama_UK Moderator "Just been viewing the DVD from EG products using Mark Wheeller's play extracts to exemplify various techniques used in his plays.... mint! Very useful and well structured and produced. I can see that some of my rather recalcitrant Year 11 and Year 10 students will be able to learn a great deal from this - energy in abundance for one thing! Precision is also an important aspect of using stylised theatre techniques - either verbally or physically and this DVD will also be very useful to illustrate the effect on their work of paying attention to these aspects of their performances." |
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BASIC DANCE TECHNIQUES EXEMPLIFIED
The DVD is clearly designed for quick navigation and ease of use. The scene selection page divides the DVD into 10 comprehensible categories: 'Safety in Dance'; 'The Contemporary Dance'; 'Six Basic Dance Actions'; 'Dynamics'; 'Space'; 'Relationships'; 'Motif Development'; 'Dance Analysis'; 'Dance Styles' and 'Creating Dance'. The DVD runs succinctly from one category to the next, giving practical examples by pupils to support the commentary. This DVD will surprise some teachers by the approach used in some sections. The safety section highlights key areas of safety in dance such as moving to the floor and the need to continually refresh the safety aspects through each dance piece that students produce. The analysis section examines the dance piece performed throughout the DVD with which the audience are already very familiar. This type of analysis is a good foundation for GCSE Dance pupils as it shows the need to intertwine practical and theory work. The use of students in the DVD is successful in proving to young people that they are capable of this work. The DVD will reinforce the need for high quality dance in an increasingly popular subject. DVD Review by Kate Beveridge - Dance Matters Number 50 Winter 2007 |
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DRAMA TECHNIQUES EXEMPLIFIED
My colleagues were delighted by the Drama Techniques video. It gives a full range of Drama techniques demonstrated by a group of young people with a clear, measured voice-over explaining each technique. We also agreed the DVD was clear enough to be shared with students. A demonstration without having to persuade the same students to work with you and with good examples of how they might be used is a valuable teaching tool. This is a highly useful resource and I may need to buy more copies to provide my non-specialist colleagues with their own version. |
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Egproducts are to be praised for taking on this project. It is a very worthy thing to do. They make clear that the DVD is not a collection of real drama lessons, a guide to how drama should be taught, or a material source for schemes of work. The scenes have been set up so that they are clear to see and hear. Many teachers were pleased to see the launch of the ACE levels and will find this DVD a practical support providing some form of external benchmark. Even where there are arguments as to whether the levels exemplified are set at the correct point, the DVD fulfils the function of starting a critical dialogue - essential for any school using the levels to support teaching, learning and assessment. In terms of the overall semiotics of the DVD: its production standards are high: the clarity of image and sound is excellent. |
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| Copyright Cass Productions Limited 2006 | |||
Dancing Science is a resource for KS2 which “explores a kinaesthetic approach to the KS2 science curriculum”. It was developed after a year long project managed by Hampshire Dance and supported by creative partnerships, Southampton and Isle of Wight. It is aimed at KS2 teachers. No previous dance experience is needed to use the resource. 
Included on the CD is a file that contains concise teacher support notes with both background information and the dance steps. Most importantly the notes explain how the dance movements relate to the science concept being taught: “Children drum hands on their tummies (represents striking an object – e.g. a drum). Shake body and move hands and feet quickly (representing the sound source vibrating).” Throughout the science is clear and there are suggestions for adapting the dance movements for children with physical disabilities. 
What an exciting addition to the dance resource market this CD-Rom is, and particularly because it focuses upon the ‘hot potato’ health agenda, tying in beautifully with the ‘be healthy’ outcome of Every Child Matters. Born from a partnership between Hampshire Dance and Laban Dance-Science Programme, this CD-Rom is the product of an exciting Youth Dance and Health Project, in which data was collected over a period of ten weeks from 348 young people in nine schools throughout the UK. It is, however, an innovative teacher resource per se, offering ready-to-go cross-curricular dance material that is progressive and appropriately linked to composition, performance and appreciation tasks. 
Indeed, the CD-Rom’s unique blend of creativity alongside physical activity that promotes fitness and emotional wellbeing satisfies both National Curriculum and government health goals, and will help to send it to the top of the ‘must-have’ list of dance teacher resources. However, for technophobes, its accessible layout is also worth a mention. It initially opens up to a home page with links to the various sections, then there are clear instructions for usage given, alongside aims and objectives, a background to the project, research, curriculum links and music suggestions. ‘Dance Activities’ that focus on warm-up, cardiovascular sequence, the heart, the lungs, muscles and bones, nutrition, and cool-down are presented as separate printable files, but are also an integral component of the resource, with excellent video clips available for each part to clarify tasks.
"Wheeller himself is a teacher whose youth theatre group have performed at Edinburgh; he knows what young people are capable of achieving and gives them licence to use their imaginations in his work. There are many opportunities for students to develop higher order Drama skills. Extracts are performed in a theatre setting by a group of talented (God, they’re talented) students who look to be around 17 years old. There is no suggestion that these are definitive versions of the extracts. Students are shown ways the plays could be performed. A voiceover gives an introduction to each clip, alerting students to which technique is being shown and a little about why it is useful; a simultaneous on-screen panel gives information about the play itself.
This exciting and innovative DVD is sure to inspire even the most reluctant of your students into creating and appreciating dance with a clearer understanding of the processes. I think the DVD would be suitable for use with GCSE students and AS Dance students who are studying dance for the first time. This DVD would also be a useful aid for teachers without formal training who may not be entirely familiar with the course and its requirements. 
Ali Warren reviewing 'Drama Techniques Exemplified' in the Summer 2005 edition of 'Drama' - the journal of National Drama.
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