Dance and Drama
Primary 3 · Creative Arts
Dance and Drama
Lesson 1 of 3
13 min
Let's begin
At a wedding in Musanze, the drummers begin to play. Boom — boom — boom.
Little Keza looks down at her feet. They are already tapping! She never told them to do that.
Today you will learn to dance on purpose, so that your feet, your arms and the music all move together.
Put your hand flat on your chest and sit very still. Can you feel that soft thump, thump, thump? That is your heart, keeping steady time.
Music has a steady thump too. We call it the beat. Say this drum out loud, nice and even:
BOOM . . . BOOM . . . BOOM . . . BOOM
Now clap once on every BOOM. Your clap and the drum land together. That is the beat.
Dancers count the beat like this, out loud:
1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 1 — 2 — 3 — 4
Keep every gap the same size. When you reach 4, go straight back to 1, round and round like a bicycle wheel. In Rwanda the drum that gives you this beat is called the ingoma.
Stand up tall and walk on the spot. Put one foot down on every count.
| Count | Your feet |
|---|---|
| 1 | left foot down |
| 2 | right foot down |
| 3 | left foot down |
| 4 | right foot down |
Bend your knees a little and keep the steps small. Your feet and the beat are landing at the same moment. You are dancing!
Rwanda’s most famous dancers are the intore. When they dance, they lift their arms high above their heads and spread them wide. Their arms make the shape of the long, curved horns of an inyambo cow.
Try it now. Lift both arms up into a big V, fingers straight, chin up. Lift the arms slowly, on the beat, and you look like a real dancer.
A good dancer follows the music.
| The music is… | So you move… |
|---|---|
| fast, like wedding drums | quickly, with small quick steps |
| slow, like an evening song | slowly, with long smooth steps |
| loud and strong | big, with wide arms |
| soft and quiet | small, with gentle hands |
And when the music stops, you stop. Freeze like a statue and hold still. A dancer listens even more than she moves.
Tip
Feet first. Arms after
Learn the steps with your feet while you count 1, 2, 3, 4 out loud. Only when your feet know the way should you add your arms. Nobody can learn two new things at exactly the same time.
Do these standing up. Try each one, then tap Show answer to check.
Clap on every beat and count 1, 2, 3, 4. Do that four times over. How many claps did you make in all?
Answer: 4 claps each time, four times over. 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 16 claps.
The ingoma starts beating very fast. Should your steps be quick or slow?
Answer: Quick. You match the music. Fast drum, fast feet — and keep the steps small so you do not fall over.
What are Rwanda’s famous dancers called?
Answer: The intore. They are known for lifting their arms high like the horns of a cow.
The song suddenly goes very soft and quiet. Should your arms make big shapes or small shapes?
Answer: Small shapes. Soft music, small movements. Save the big wide arms for the loud parts.
The music stops all at once. What do you do?
Answer: You freeze. Stop straight away and hold still, exactly where you were.
What you learned today
Quick check
Match the music to the way you move.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
