New
New
Year 9

Look here: focus and emphasis

I can use the expressive skills of focus and emphasis effectively.

New
New
Year 9

Look here: focus and emphasis

I can use the expressive skills of focus and emphasis effectively.

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Move: effective use of expressive skills communicates the dance ideas clearly.
  2. Think: projecting ideas effectively requires evaluating the application of expressive skills.
  3. Feel: the precise use of focus can communicate the mood of feeling of a performance.
  4. Connect: cooperating with others is necessary to produce coherent group work.

Keywords

  • Focus - where a performer is looking

  • Emphasis - to highlight a shape, action or performer(s)

  • Design features - other elements in a performance, e.g. lighting or costume

Common misconception

Performers should always look straight ahead and project to their audience.

In many styles, the connection to the audience is an important part of the performance. This can also be achieved by including a change of focus to communicate the performer's mood or intention, or to indicate what the audience should be looking at.


To help you plan your year 9 physical education lesson on: Look here: focus and emphasis, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Illustrating emphasis with your voice by including dramatic pauses (stillness), change of volume (size), change of pace (dynamics) can enable pupils to appreciate the effect upon an audience.
Teacher tip

Equipment

suggested music

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - physical activity

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Prior knowledge starter quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following is a traditional staging arrangement?
Correct answer: in the round
carousel
circular
Q2.
What type of skill is ‘control’ in dance?
expressive
Correct answer: physical
creative
Q3.
What does the use of contrast denote?
Correct answer: distinct difference
contact work
poor timing
Q4.
In what type of performance does the audience follow the performers?
pedestrian
platform
Correct answer: promenade

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
What term describes where a performer is looking in a dance?
Correct answer: focus
facial expression
extension
Q2.
Which of the following is not a method to add emphasis to a dance?
stillness
change of dynamic
Correct answer: turning
Q3.
What is lighting an example of in dance?
type of staging
Correct answer: design feature
choreographic style
Q4.
When working cooperatively, what term is used to describe the group?
confident
agreeable
Correct answer: coherent

Additional material

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