Philippine Ethnic Dance

From LoveToKnow Dance

Philippine ethnic dance has a wide and varied range of movements and costumes coming from many cultures and time periods. This is because while there was an indigenous population on the islands, its geographic location made it into a crossroads for the Moors, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Spanish, and more. Their official language, Tagalog, contains many roots from both the middle east as well as Latinate languages, and their cultural dances are no less multi-ethnic. Still, these sources all come together in the unique form that is Philippine ethnic dance.

The Tinikling: Iconic Philippine Ethnic Dance

Probably the most recognized dance from the Philippines, the Tinikling is also the closest to the indigenous dances. The dance is a playful courtship dance (as are many of the native dances) portraying the capture of a bird in a cage. Whether or not this is a metaphor for relationships is not exactly clear, but the dance itself has an exciting element of danger to it.

Aside from the two dancers (a male and female pair) there are four other performers whose job it is to move four bamboo poles laid out in like a tic-tac-toe board at the performers' feet. These poles are rhythmically lifted about four inches off the ground and slammed together, then separated and slammed down into the ground. The sound of the bamboo staves hitting each other and the ground is quite loud and startling, and implies danger to the dancers who prance in and out of the spaces created by the rhythmic pounding. The dance also gets progressively more and more complex, in both rhythm and movement, and as it speeds up there is truly a virtuosic performance necessary for the dancers to avoid catching their ankles in the "bird trap." This is one of the most popular and well-known of the Philippine ethnic dances, performed by cultural groups all over to world to celebrate their heritage.

The Aires de Verbena: Courtship Dance

As its name suggests, the Aires de Verbena comes from Spanish roots and is often traditionally danced on the steps and courtyard of town squares and government centers. Far different from the tribal costumes worn for the Tinikling, the male dancers for the Cordillera wear the European-inspired barongs (white button-down shirts with embroidered patterns on the front and dark trousers, while the women wear bright pastel-colored gowns with elaborate puffy sleeves.

The dance movements are similar to many other cultural dances portraying courtship, with couples traveling in line of dance while they form various postures and smaller figures as a couple. There is, traditionally, a great deal of flirting and playful banter taking place during the dance, entertaining for both dancers and audience alike. The pervasive Spanish influence on the dance is especially typified by the inclusion of a habanera dance along with other movements reminiscent of flamenco.

A Reflection of Everyday Life

Both of these dances illustrate a major factor in all of the dances of the Philippines, in that they tend to both reflect and reinforce the cultural norms of everyday life.

For example, the Cordillera from the northern Philippines contains movements representing such everyday tasks as carrying water – but does it in a way that makes it graceful and balanced. After this is a traditional wedding dance (salidsid) and the banawol-banawe, another dance that draws from the movements of birds to create an exciting dance of greeting for guests. Costumes for this dance are as bright and colorful as the feathers of the birds it emulates.

While many of the dances reflect Philippine heritage, they also are brought into the future by contemporary dancers who have taken these cultural influences into the wider global arena. Dancers and choreographers designated "National Artists" include Lucrecia Reyes Urtula, Leonor Orosa Goquinco Basilio, Alice Reyes, Tony Fabella, and Agnes Locsin. In addition, as more and more Philipinos move away from their islands, they carry the traditions and dances with them in groups as far away as Madison, Wisconsin, where the local Pamana group keeps the traditions alive and well for a new generation.

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