ABSTRACT
The introduction of Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) as a statutory element of the National Curriculum may have led many to assume that this would assure their position on the school timetable and accord a certain degree of status to their delivery. Combining subjects normally taught separately may create time for both and may provide additional opportunities for effective language learning. The theme of pirates had been previously used as a stimulus for primary dance with students on undergraduate and postgraduate teacher training programmes. The choice of music fitted well with the theme and served as a motivational tool for learning. Combining only two curriculum areas facilitated a tight focus so that both subjects were of equal importance and neither was sacrificed in favour of the other. In order to maximise the acquisition of physical skills, much is documented within the field of motor skill acquisition to suggest that it is helped by kinaesthetic movement.
