The City of Edinburgh Dance School @ Broughton High School

General Information

Broughton High School offers its pupils the unique opportunity of receiving specialist dance tuition alongside the mainstream secondary curriculum. Entry on to the course is by audition only. The application form can be found here. Along with the application form we ask for a copy of the student's most recent school report card. Your child will then be invited to an initial preliminary audition, if successful they will be invited back for a second and final practical audition. Following this there may be parental interviews before formally being offered a place on the dance course. During the auditions students will participate in a practical class led by staff from the specialist dance school. The class will involve ballet, jazz and contemporary. Everything that the students will be asked to do will be taught on the day. Successful students will be selected for their enthusiasm for dance, allied to flexibility, musicality, creativity and potential.

In S1/2 the pupils are timetabled for dance classes for six periods a week. The dancers will be extracted from non-core subjects to allow this to happen. Pupils will study Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Choreography, History of Dance and Dance Appreciation. In S3 they will undertake SQA National 5 Dance, Higher in S4, and HNC Professional Dance Performance in S5 and S6 (this can be completed as a one year course or over two years depending on practical and academic ability). Broughton is one of only two schools in Scotland where students can gain this qualification before leaving school and embarking on their chosen career. All students to date have completed the course with an ‘A’ for their Graded Unit. This is a fantastic achievement for students at such an early stage in their training.

Throughout the course there are regular opportunities to work with guest teachers and choreographers, many of whom are currently involved in the professional dance world. All of the pupils participate in the annual school choreography competition, various small-scale performances and the main summer production. Students are always in high-demand to perform at a variety of events.

Every year the students participate in the Edinburgh Schools' Dance Competition and have won the overall awards for both the Junior and Senior sections.

As well as performing in shows, students are expected to widen their knowledge and understanding of dance by going to watch dance performances at the theatre. There will be performances that we will go and see as a group - by doing this we will get the tickets at a more affordable price.

Many of the students who progress through the Dance School go on to further education in dance. Recently we have invited two former students back into Broughton to deliver dance workshops. 

The Teaching Staff

The Teaching Staff 

 Guest Teachers 2010-2013:

Facilities

Facilities

The new Broughton High School opened on 27 February 2009 and the purpose-built dance facilities are state of the art.  The dance studios are comparable to, if not superior to those found in many full-time vocational dance schools.  The dance studios both have built-in sound systems, barres and sprung floors.  There is also a dedicated classroom for all contextual studies and three performance areas.  The dance students have access to an air-conditioned fitness suite which is equipped with up-to-date CV and weight machines.

Curriculum

S1 and S2

In S1 and S2 specialist dance pupils will be extracted from six periods a week to participate in dance lessons.  This will happen in consultation with students and parents.  They are likely to miss IDL (Interdisciplinary Learning), PSE (Personal and Social Education) and a period of PE.  They will not miss English or Maths and they will not miss the same subject twice.  Students will attend additional R.A.D. Ballet classes after school on a Tuesday, depending on prior experience.

S3 and S4

Pupils who continually work hard and progress as expected in all classes throughout S1 and S2 will be advised that they can progress into S3 Dance.  In S3 pupils will select dance as one of their elected subjects and will be timetabled for dance six hours a week - they will no longer miss any classes.  In S3 pupils will follow the SQA National 5 Dance Course.  Successful completion of the National 5 course will allow pupils to progress on to Higher Dance in S4.  Higher Dance is a recognised qualification nationally that is accepted for entry to university and college.

S5 and S6

Following successful completion of Higher Dance, pupils will gain access to HNC Professional Stage Dance depending on practical and academic ability.  HNC Dance is normally only available at college and provides students with an excellent foundation for further education in Dance.  In S5 or S6 pupils will also have the opportunity to develop their teaching and leadership skills and work towards gaining an award in Dance Leadership as well as using this experience towards gaining their Duke of Edinburgh Award.  Many of the students go in to neighbouring primary schools as part of their PSD to teach dance to the pupils. 

The aim of the HNC Professional Stage Dance course is to prepare pupils for leaving high school by providing them with the skills and discipline that will allow them to progress into further education or a performance career in dance or musical theatre.  The course will help students to develop their technical performance skills in dance, singing and acting to a high standard. It will teach pupils to work effectively with fellow performers, directors, choreographers and technical staff. The course will enable dancers to take responsibility for their own professional development and assist them with audition techniques."

For further information about the HNC Professional Stage Dance Course please click here