Dance and Drama
Primary 2 · Creative Arts
Dance and Drama
Lesson 3 of 3
14 min
Let's begin
Umutoni pushes the chairs to one side of the yard. Her brother Byiringiro sweeps the ground flat.
Mother sits down. Grandmother sits down. Two neighbours come to see what the noise is about.
The yard has just turned into a theatre — and tonight, you are going to build one too.
You already have everything you need. You can sing. You can dance. You can act.
A show is simply those things put in an order — and then practised until they are smooth. The order is called the running order.
The people who sit and watch are the audience.
Here is Umutoni’s whole plan, from the first word to the last. Read it slowly.
| Part | What happens | How long |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Welcome | “Muraho! We are Umutoni and Byiringiro. Welcome to our show.” | 1 minute |
| 2. The song | A song they both know really well. They stand still, face the front, and sing out. | 2 minutes |
| 3. The dance | The side step with the arms, counting 1, 2, 3, 4 inside their heads. | 2 minutes |
| 4. The play | Mutesi and the Lost Goat — all four scenes. | 4 minutes |
| 5. The bow | They freeze. Then they stand in a line, bow together, and say: “Murakoze!” | 1 minute |
Add it up: 1 + 2 + 2 + 4 + 1 = 10 minutes. That is a real show.
Ten minutes is plenty. A short show that is good beats a long show that is tired.
| Rule | Why |
|---|---|
| Face the front. | Your face is the story. If they cannot see it, they cannot follow it. |
| Speak up. | Grandmother is at the back. If she cannot hear you, the show is not happening for her. |
| Keep going. | If you forget a word, invent the next one and carry on. Nobody in that yard knows what you were supposed to say. Only you know. |
| Finish strong. | Freeze, hold it, then bow. The bow tells them: it is over, you may clap now. |
A rehearsal is when you practise your whole show, from beginning to end, before the real day.
Umutoni rehearsed three times. Look at what changed each time:
| Rehearsal | What she did |
|---|---|
| First | Slowly, with her plan in her hand. She stopped whenever something went wrong and fixed it. |
| Second | No paper. All the way through with no stopping — even the messy parts. |
| Third | Full speed, big voices, real bow at the end. Byiringiro watched and told her one thing to fix. |
Rule: Rehearse the whole show at least three times. That is the thing that turns a nervous child into a performer. Not luck. Practice.
It will. Everybody’s does — even the intore dancers, before they walk out.
Tip
Slow down. Speak up
When you are nervous, everything inside you speeds up — your words most of all.
So before you start, say it to yourself: slow down, speak up. Take one breath. Then begin.
This is where you plan your own show. Get a pencil.
Write your running order. What are the five parts, in order?
Answer: Welcome → song → dance → play → bow. You may swap the song and the dance if you like, but always welcome them first and always bow last.
Where will your stage be, and where will your audience sit?
Answer: Anywhere flat and clear — the yard, the front room, under a tree. The audience sits facing the stage, and you set their seats out before they arrive.
How many times should you rehearse before the real day?
Answer: At least three times. Once slowly to fix things, once straight through, once at full speed with the bow.
In the middle of your play, you forget your next line. What do you do?
Answer: Keep going. Say something close to it and carry on. Never stop and start again from the beginning — the audience does not have your script, so they will never know.
Grandmother is at the back and she keeps saying “What? What?” What do you change?
Answer: Speak louder and more slowly. Lift your chin and send your voice to the very back of the yard.
How do you finish the whole show?
Answer: Freeze in your last picture. Hold it — one, two, three. Then stand in a line, bow together, and say thank you. Now they clap.
Now do it. Plan your show today. Rehearse it three times. Perform it for your family or your friends this week.
Answer: You are a performer. There is no other answer.
What you learned today
Quick check
Umutoni's show. Put the parts in order.
Tap the cards in the right order.
