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 tictac-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.