English through Drama and Dance

he Language School, Optima and its creative Directors have pioneered a new and innovative way of helping students of All ages learn English . Learning English through Drama and Dance has proved to be a successful , speedy and fun way to improve English skills.

he approach to learning English through visual and physical means aims to:

Increase student motivation and participation
Promote confidence and fluency in 'spoken English'
Build confidence through group discussion and self expression
Working within a group and helping to support each other
Use spoken English in all stages of the process of creating a performance

ptima's Two Creative Directors

Thomas Kett is a professional Rada trained actor and playwright who has many successful productions to his credit in London and Paris and has also had his work published in Germany.

Lucy Pearce is a 'Laban' trained teacher of modern and contemporary dance and has choreographed a number of 'Upstage' theatre productions in London.

Together they work with a well chosen and excellent team of supporting staff at Optima.

Performance topics are chosen in advance to suit the groups needs and levels and the emphasis on drama is highly motivating. Students, boys and girls alike enjoy the physical movement involved and some exceptional performances can be achieved in a relatively short period of time. The students confidence in their spoken English is greatly improved by the end of each project. Workshops bring a chosen subject to life and are fun.

fter a brief introduction in English and an appropriate 'warm up' , the rehearsals begin and together the Directors and students work towards a performance.

All workshops are held in a proffessional theatre environment with full lighting and sound and an invited audience attends the final performance.

Every student receives a DVD of their performance and an Optima certificate of attendance.

Workshops in your school

For example:

History through Drama

'One off' workshop or 'Taster' can easily be arranged. The workshop would enable Students to experience a period or event in history. Students are given a brief introduction to the characters of the chosen event or period ( in English) and using Drama and Dance build on their language skills and confidence in an enjoyable way. During the workshop they can improvise with guidance and add their own interpretation to their roles. If required a short performance in front of other students and teachers could end the workshop.

The above is one example, but Directors can use a varied number of themes and are always interested to consider suggestions.

W e can build the workshops in to the school calendar or after hours within the confines of the school campus.

"This method of teaching English has proved a resounding success and groups of students who have visited the UK through Optima have benefited enormously . By the end of the course, the students confidence in their spoken English has greatly improved. IN EVERY CASE."

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