Ago Medical and Educational Center

College of Midwifery & Radiologic Technology

BRIEF HISTORY & DANCE LITERATURE

OF

TINIKLING

(P.E. 2)

Submitted by:

Broncano, Justin
Bañano, Melizza F.
Martin, Elyyxia Danei
Sta. Ana, Karenina
Colasi, Janine
Diaz, Jessel Joy
Azaña, Junald
Gargaceran, Hanna
 The ti nikling danc
e is one of the most popular
and well-known of traditional Philippine dances. The tinikling is a pre-Spanish dance from the
Philippines that involves two people beating, tapping, and sliding bamboo poles on the ground
and against each other in coordination with one or more dancers who step over and in between
the poles in a dance. The name is a reference to birds locally known as tikling, which can be any
of a number of rail species; the term tinikling literally means "tikling-like." The dance
originated in Leyte among the Visayan islands in the central Philippines as an imitation of the
tikling bird dodging bamboo traps set by rice farmers. The dance imitates the movement of the
tikling birds as they walk between grass stems, run over tree branches, or dodge bamboo traps
set by rice farmers. Dancers imitate the tikling bird's legendary grace and speed by skillfully
maneuvering between large bamboo poles.
Legend says that Tinikling originated during the time when the Spaniards took over the
Philippines. Natives worked on large plantations under the control of the King of Spain. Those
who didn't work productively were punished by standing between two bamboo poles. 
The Tinikiling is considered a national dance in the Philippines and almost every Filipino
knows how to do it. Since it’s a dramatic dance, it’s usually performed on special occasions like
traditional Filipino festivals or at school and theater performances. Some say that this dance
represents most Filipinos’ two main character traits: They’re resilient and fun-loving. To dance
the Tinikling, you need two pairs of bamboo poles that are each 6–12 feet long (about 1.8–3.7
meters). Female dancers usually wear a dress called a Balintawak (a colorful dress with arched
sleeves) or a Patadyong (a checkered loose skirt that’s often worn with a thin-fibered blouse).
Males wear an embroidered formal shirt that’s untucked called the Barong Tagalog—which is
the country’s national outfit for Filipino men. The Barong is usually paired with red trousers. All
dancers perform the Tinikling while barefoot.
 The bamboo is also used as a percussive instrument as it is banged against the ground (or
a piece of wood to make it easier to hold) and each other in a pattern. The bamboo has to be
closed hard enough to make a sound, and the dancers must be quick enough to not get their foot
(or feet) caught. As the dance continues, the banging of the bamboo becomes faster and harder,
the sound of the clashing bamboo and the quickness of feet demonstrated by the dancers thrilling
and awing the crowd. While only two bamboo poles are involved in this dance, some versions
use four bamboo poles, where the pairs are arranged in a cross-like pattern. To avoid getting their
ankles caught in between the poles, dancers must listen closely and follow the rhythm of the
music.
Students use this type of folk dance for physical education dance classes to help expand
physical movements such as hand coordination, foot speed, and also their rhythm. This folk
dance is also important in preserving and keeping the Philippine tradition & culture alive and
pass it on to future generation.

DANCE LITERATURE OF TINIKLING

Description:

Part 1. The Clickers. The clickers sit on the floor on their knees or with legs crossed. In front of
their feet is the beam and on top are the ends of the poles. The clickers sit about 8 feet apart.
They hold the poles in their hands and perform the three count rhythm. On count 1, the poles are
tapped on the beam, on count 2 the poles are tapped on the beam and on count 3 the poles are
slide together. The cue is - tap tap close, tap tap close, or open open close, open open close. The
clickers maintain a steady tempo throughout the dance.

Part 2. The Dancers Basic Step. The dancer begins standing on two feet with his or her right
side next to the poles. As the clickers perform the open open close rhythmic pattern, the dancer
hops on the right foot in between the poles on the first tap open, then switches to a left foot hop
on the second tap open and hops on the right foot to the right and lands outside of the poles on
the slide close of the the poles. The cue is - in, in, out. This basic step is repeated beginning with
the left side next to the poles. Repeat the basic step to the right and left several times.

Part 3. Step Variation A. After one repetion of the basic step to the right, the dancers do a three
step half turn moving backward so the right side is next to the poles but on the opposite end
where they stepped out. When this step variation is repeated several times, the dancer will end
up moving in a circle pathway, always leading with the right foot. The cue is - in, in, out, back,
back, back, in, in, out, back, back, back.
Part 4. Step Variation B. A variation to the step is to do two jumps on the open open counts and
a straddle jump with feet ending out to each side of the poles on the close count. The cue is -
together, together, apart.