Body Control and Balance
Primary 6 · Physical Education
Body Control and Balance
Lesson 3 of 3
25 min
Let's begin
For the end-of-term show, Mugisha's group must perform "The storm on Lake Kivu" without saying a single word. "How can we tell a story with no words?" asks Mutesi.
People have told stories with their bodies for thousands of years. Today your group will learn the tools that dancers use, then plan, practise and perform your own movement story.
Dance is moving to a rhythm, alone or in a group. People dance to show their feelings, to celebrate and to tell stories. Some of the oldest dances copy animals. Planning the steps of a dance is called choreography, and the person who plans them is a choreographer.
In Rwanda, music and dance are part of ceremonies, festivals, gatherings and storytelling. The best-known traditional performance has three parts: umushagiriro, the cow dance, danced by women; intore, the dance of heroes, danced by men; and the drumming on drums called ingoma, often by groups of seven to nine drummers.
Walk around the space. When the teacher calls a character, change how you move: a tired farmer going home, a proud cow with long horns, a hungry lion, a leaf in the wind, a moto driver in the rain. Freeze on the whistle, then change.
Every movement story is built from the same tools. Change one tool, and the meaning changes.
| Tool | Choices | What it can show |
|---|---|---|
| Actions | travel, jump, turn, reach, fall, freeze | what happens in the story |
| Level | high, medium, low | low: a seed, a tired person; high: a tree, a proud hero |
| Speed | fast, slow, sudden stop | fast: fear, excitement; slow: calm, sadness, growing |
| Size | big, small | big: strength, joy; small: shyness, cold |
| Direction | forwards, backwards, sideways, round | going towards something, running away |
| Energy | strong, light | strong: a storm, a lion; light: rain, a butterfly |
| Group | unison, canon, mirror, meet and part | together or one by one, friends or rivals |
Sit still and watch quietly. Clap at the end. When you give feedback, be kind and exact: "The rain in your middle scene was light and quick, and it really looked like rain" helps more than "It was nice".
Do your whole story again in slow motion, as slowly as you can. Then lie still, close your eyes and breathe slowly for 1 minute.
Warning
Stay safe
Tip
Level, speed, size, energy: change one, and the story changes
And always start still and end still.
Try each one first, then tap Show answer to check.
What is choreography?
Answer: Planning the steps of a dance.
How could you show a seed growing into a tree using level and speed?
Answer: Start curled up at a low level and rise very slowly until you are stretched tall at a high level.
What is the difference between unison and canon?
Answer: In unison everyone moves at the same time. In canon the same move passes along the group one person after another, like a wave.
Name the three parts of Rwanda's best-known traditional dance performance.
Answer: Umushagiriro (the cow dance), intore (the dance of heroes) and the drumming on ingoma.
Keza's group runs around the whole time at the same speed. Give them one "wish" to improve.
Answer: For example: add changes of speed and level, and start and end with a still shape.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Match each way of moving as a group to what it means.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
