PHILIPPINE FOLK DANCE

Folk dances - are the indigenous dances of any specific “folk” or the common people.

- they are traditional customary or recreational dance forms of a given country

which have evolved naturally and were handed down across generations.
- are related to everything of importance in our daily lives, such as customs,
rituals, and occupations of a specific group of people.
- Are related in origin to religious belief, stemming from emotions, superstitions,
festivals, ceremonies of birth, courtship, marriage, death, war and countless
themes common to all people around the world.
- According to Duggan, Schlottmann and Rutledge (1948), “folk dance became the
over expression of emotions and ideas which were peculiarly significant or the
re-enactment of customs and events constituting an important part of their
history and patterns of daily living”.
- Lopez (2006) “a traditional mode of expression that employs bodily movements
of redundant patterns linked to definite features of rhythmic beats or music”.

Characteristics:

1. It is traditional.
2. It has an expressive behavior.
3. Simple, basic rhythm dominates the folk dance and establishes the pattern of movement.
4. It is created by an unknown choreographer or by communal efforts.
5. It performs a function in the life of the (folk) people.

Types of Philippine folk dance:

1. Tribal dances from the Cordilleras – includes non-Christian dances from the Cordilleras.
2. Lowland Christian dances – dances coming from places with Western influences such as that
of the Tagalogs, Ilokanos, Pampangueños, Pangasinense, Bisayans and Bicolanos.
3. Muslim dances – dances from the people of the Southern Islands of the Philippines such as
in Mindanao and Sulu. These dances are influenced by Arabic and Indo-Malayan cultures.

Classification of Philippine folk dance:

1. Life-cycle dances – dances that are serve as ritual as one passes to a different stage in life
such as from birth to childhood to adulthood; from singlehood to marriage; and from life to
death.
a. courtship dances
b. wedding dances
c. funeral dances
2. Festival dances – dances that are either religious or secular and are connected with the
celebration of recurring events of special significance.
3. Occupational dances – dances that depict the means of livelihood of the Filipino people.
Palay festival, a national dance in rice-growing regions, is an example of an occupational
dance wherein dancers portray different steps in rice growing – from planting to harvesting
to threshing, flailing, pounding, airing and winnowing (Aquino, 1979).
4. Ritual and ceremonial dances – dances performed as part of the rituals and ceremonies of a
certain tribe or group of people.
5. Game dances – derivations from local folk games. One example of these dances is the Pukol
dance from Aklan and Capiz in the Panay region. Pukol means “to strike or bump each other:
(Aquino, 1979).
6. Joke and trickster dances – include jokes or tricks played by a dancer on another or a group
of dancers who is one of them. The intention is to render that individual “to a physical or
mental indignity or discomfort” (Lopez, 2006). Example of these is the Pandanggo sa
Sambalilo dance from the Tagalog regions wherein regions wherein a girl teases her male
partner by playing with his hat then pushes him when he is about succeed in getting back
and putting on his hat from the floor.
7. Mimetic or drama dances – dances that mimic animals, inanimate objects, or other people.
The dancers get into roles other than themselves and become actors totally immersed in the
story the dances tell. The Itik-Itik dance from Surigao is an example of a mimetic dance as it
imitates the movements of a duck.
8. War dances – dances that express feud and enmity wherein two male dancers engage in
physical combat with Spartan-like intensity (Lopez, 2006). Maglalatik (Biñan, Laguna) is an
example of a war dance as this depicts a battle between Muslims of southern Philippines
and the Christian Filipinos of the lowlands over latik (the residue after coconut boils down).
In this dance, the Muslim won and the Christians sought conciliation in order to convert the
Muslim Moros to Christianity (Aquino, 1979).
9. Social amenities dance - dances that express social graces, hospitality and offerings of gifts
to friends. All social ballroom dances and most of the “Filipinized” Western dances that
show camaraderie merriment belong to this group (Lopez, 2006). Examples are Minuete
Yano (Iriga, Camarines Sur), Alay (tagalog regions), and Habanera Botoleña (Botolan,
Zambales) dances. Minuete Yano, for instance, is performed by people from high social
standing in the community during special occasions honoring high government officials and
church dignitaries (Aquino, 1979).
Traditional folk dance - is a dance that has arisen from the cultural traditions of the people
of a certain country or region. It reflects the life of the people and is passed down from one
generation to another.

TINIKLING - is a traditional folk dance which originated in the province

of Leyte in Visayas. The name of this dance is derived from the word, tikling, which refers to
a bird with long legs and a long neck. This dance involves steps which are similar to the
movements of the said animal as it runs over tree branches or walks between grass stems.
This can be performed with an instrumental accompaniment or accompanied by a folk song.

- Tinikling involves the use of two bamboo poles which both have a length of nine
feet. These poles are horizontally on the ground. The performers dance along the sides and
between as these poles are struck together according to every beat of the music. The
performers demonstrate their skills as they avoid getting their feet caught in between the
poles with each strike.