Dancing umushayayo and intore

1Why this matters

At weddings, national celebrations and school open days, a troupe (itorero) often performs the two best-known Rwandan dances side by side: the graceful umushayayo and the powerful intore, both driven by drums. Traditionally umushayayo is danced by women and girls and intore by young men. In PE everyone learns the basic steps of both, because both train rhythm, balance, posture and coordination, and both carry Rwandan culture. In a performance, your troupe follows its own tradition.

2Before you dance

• Warm up the ankles, calves and knees: jog, then ankle circles, then small hops. Intore stamping and jumping load these joints heavily.
• Dance on flat ground, barefoot or in soft shoes, with an arm's length of space around every dancer.
• Replica spears and shields are replaced at school by short, smooth sticks and a piece of card, or by empty hands. Hold a stick upright or pointing to the ground, never at another dancer.
• Learn to count the beat. Most dance phrases are counted in eights: "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8". Clap the drum rhythm before you step to it.

3Umushayayo: basic steps

1. Posture: stand tall with a long neck, chin level and shoulders relaxed. Knees stay soft, never locked.
2. The gliding walk: take small, smooth steps on the beat, sliding each foot forward close to the ground. Your head should not bob up and down: you glide, like cattle walking calmly.
3. The arms: raise both arms in wide, gentle curves above and beside your head, fingers together. Picture the long curved horns of Inyambo cattle. Change the arms slowly, one higher and then the other, in time with the music.
4. Head and shoulders: small, slow turns of the head and a gentle roll of the shoulders, with a calm smile.
5. Formation: dancers move in lines or a curve, following the lead dancer and keeping the same spacing.

The skill is control: every movement is slow, smooth and together with the group.

4Intore: basic steps

1. Ready position: feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent, chest proud, eyes forward. The "spear" is held upright in one hand and the "shield" in front of the body with the other.
2. The stamping step: lift one knee high and stamp the foot down on the beat, then the other. At a performance the bells on the dancers' legs ring together with the drums, so the whole line must stamp at exactly the same moment.
3. Jumps: spring straight up from both feet, knees driving upwards, and land softly on the balls of the feet with bent knees.
4. The head movement: sharp turns and tosses of the head make a real dancer's long, pale headdress fly. Keep the movement in time and do not overdo it, to protect your neck.
5. The warrior pose: step into a deep lunge, point the stick forward and hold the "shield" high. Freeze for the last counts of the phrase.

The skill is power with precision: big, strong movements, but every dancer exactly together.

Worked example: timing a routine

Nshuti's class builds an intore phrase of 8 counts: stamping steps on counts 1 to 4 (right, left, right, left), a jump on counts 5 and 6, and the warrior pose on counts 7 and 8. The drummers play at 120 beats per minute, one count per beat.

The class performs the phrase 6 times, then an umushayayo section of 8 phrases at the same tempo. Total phrases = 6 + 8 = 14. Total time = 14 × 4 = 56 seconds, just under a minute.

If the drummers speed up to 160 beats per minute, one beat lasts 60 ÷ 160 = 0.375 s, and each phrase takes 8 × 0.375 = 3 s. The steps must become smaller and quicker to stay together.

Practice

Solution. Keep the knees soft and take small sliding steps close to the ground, so the body glides at the same height.

Solution. The leg bells and the stamps are part of the music. If they land together, they ring in time with the drums; if not, the sound becomes messy and the performance loses its power.

Solution. One beat = 60 ÷ 90 ≈ 0.67 s. One phrase = 8 × 60 ÷ 90 = 480 ÷ 90 ≈ 5.3 s.

Solution. For example: warm up the ankles and knees before stamping and jumping; use smooth sticks instead of spears and keep them upright or pointing down; keep an arm's length of space around every dancer; land from jumps with bent knees.

Solution. The long, curved horns and calm walk of Inyambo cattle.