Cover lesson · Dance · Year 10 · Intermediate
DCF: Data and computational thinking → Problem solving and modelling
Name: Class: Date:
What this practises: GCSE Dance (Made for Wales, first teaching 2026), Unit 1: Choreography, content 1.1.2 “Developing and refining movement material”: applying choreographic devices (retrograde, repetition, change of tempo) and structural devices (motif development, unison, canon), with the definitions in Appendix A of the specification. The same devices are analysed in Unit 3: Dance Appreciation, content 3.1.3.
Practice only, not NEA work. The motif is invented for this lesson and has nothing to do with the WJEC stimulus for the Unit 1 assessment. Pupils work at their desks. No dancing is needed and no space needs clearing.
Print: this sheet, one per pupil, and the stimulus sheet “Y Wennol: motif and dance score cards”, one between two.
Run: 7 min pupils read the motif and the score language · 10 min Step 2, tracing a score · 8 min Step 3, accumulation and repeats · 12 min Step 4, debugging Cai’s duet · 13 min Step 5, writing their own trio score · 5 min Step 6, swapping with a partner to check. Total 55 minutes.
Collect: this sheet, for the class teacher to check against the worked example. The class teacher may want to try the best scores in the studio next lesson.
Choreographers develop a motif with devices such as repetition, retrograde, accumulation and canon. If you write those devices down as instructions, a dance becomes an algorithm: a set of steps that anyone can follow and get the same result. Today you will trace a dance score, make one shorter with a loop, find and fix the bugs in another pupil’s score, and write your own that fits the music exactly.
Read all four sections of the stimulus sheet. Notice: action 5 lasts 2 counts, and action 3 is the only one with a turn. Key words:
Write out the actions for each line in the order they are danced, the counts, and the number of quarter turns.
| Line | Instruction | Actions danced, in order | Counts | Quarter turns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PERFORM 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | |||
| 2 | RETROGRADE [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] | |||
| 3 | REPEAT 2 TIMES [PERFORM 5, 6, 7] | |||
| 4 | HALF SPEED [PERFORM 1, 2] | |||
| Totals | ||||
(a) How many counts of eight is that? How many more counts are needed to fill 4 eights (32 counts)?
(b) Which way is the dancer facing at the end? Use the facing table.
(c) Write one extra line that fills the missing counts and finishes facing the audience. Check it.
(a) Write out ACCUMULATE [1 to 4] in full. How many actions, how many counts, and how many quarter turns?
(b) How many counts does ACCUMULATE [1 to 5] take? Remember action 5 lasts 2 counts. Why is this a useful length for music counted in eights?
(c) A pupil wrote this long score. Spot the repeating pattern and rewrite it as a shorter score using REPEAT. How many counts does it last?
PERFORM 5, 6 PERFORM 5, 6 PERFORM 5, 6 PERFORM 5, 6 PERFORM 7
Read Cai’s intention and his score in section 4 of the stimulus sheet. Trace it carefully. His score has three bugs: one in the order of a device, one in the counts, one in the facing.
| Line | What really happens (actions) | Real counts | Quarter turns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 | |||
| 6 | |||
| Real totals | |||
| Bug | What is wrong, and what happens in performance | Your fix (rewrite the line or lines) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||
| 2 | ||
| 3 |
Check your fixed score: total counts = total turn = ° facing at the end:
Write a score for a trio (dancers A, B and C) using the Y Wennol motif. Your score must:
REPEAT;| Line | Instruction | Device | Counts | Quarter turns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| Totals | ||||
In one sentence, what is your trio about? How do your devices help show it?
Give your score to a partner. They trace it without talking to you and fill this in.
| Checked by | |
|---|---|
| Total counts I traced | |
| Facing at the end | |
| One bug or unclear line, and a fix |
REPEAT to make a score shorter and clearer.ACCUMULATE [1 to 7] take, and which way does the dancer face at the end? Can it fit 4 eights and still end facing the audience? Explain, and suggest a fix.CANON line for three dancers to your trio (B starts 1 count after A, C starts 2 counts after A). How many counts does that line last?