Aesthetic of Bendian Dance and its Aesthetic Assessment

One way of appraising the state of a society is to measure the state of its arts, for
art contains the spirit, and angst of the people who create it. The artistic
achievements reached by a society is a mark of its internal power, a symbol of the
worth and quality of life that went on with it. (Fajardo, 2013)
I. INTRODUCTION

Dance, as a form of art and physical exercise, has a very significant role
for humankind. Through performance of movements accompanied by music,
man expresses his emotions, thereby "radiating" energy affecting both him
and the world around him. Each nation has its own distinctive customs, which
are priceless (Nada, 2013). It is psychologically and physically relaxing,
simultaneously developing hearing, a sense of rhythm and music, and raising
levels of general culture (Jocic,1999). With its dynamics and diverse content,
it easily gathers and draws people together regardless of their social standing
and gender. Countries in the world have their own cultures made more
colorful, beautiful and vibrant because of folk dances that are reflection of
who they are. The Philippines will not be left behind. Our country have
numbers of variety of folk dances. Each ethnic group has their folk dance
which originated in accordance with their way of life and the culture of that
group. The value of folk dance is great, as it preserves the tradition and
culture of the people. Bendian dance is one of the ritual dance of Ibaloy’s.
The main characteristic of Bendian dance is the simultaneous participation of
a multitude of dancers (people from the community). According to Zecevic
(1981), folk dances may be danced in formation consisting of an unlimited
number of interconnected dancers performing the dance together or a limited
number of dancers, divided into specific groups making separate entities (solo
dance, dancing in pairs, dancing in threes, dancing in fours). Folk dance exists
for one basic reason and hundreds of directly related ones: It fulfills or
satisfies the aesthetic needs and standards of its creators. If those social
urges that foster the dance are removed, the dance declines and disappears.
Only those of us who love it solely as an art form and recreational hobby and
the occasional rare academic are committed to saving it. Bendian is a ritual
dance performed by the Ibaloy’s inhabited from Kabayan, Bokod, Itogon,
Tuba, Sablan, Tublay, La Trinidad and partly Atok. “Ibaloy” is derived from
“i,” a prefix signifying “pertaining to” or “originating from,” and “baloy” or
house, meaning “people who live in houses.”(Pungayan).The Ibaloi language
is integral to the Ibaloi identity. Ibaloi’s speak a dialect called “Nabaloi” or
“Inibaloy”. Otto Scheerer, a German linguist who lived in southern Benguet
and studied the dialect, called it “Nabaloi” while Dr.T.H. Pardo de Tavera
called it “Inibaloy” which means “language of strangers” in Ilokano. Today,
Ibaloi’s refer to themselves and their dialect as “Ibadoy”.The people therein
speak a language altogether different from Filipino (Tagalog), the national
language of the Philippines. It is different from the languages spoken by the
people in the neighboring provinces. The main occupation of the Ibaloys is
farming and gardening. A very hardworking people, they have succeeded in
making La Trinidad, Benguet as the salad bowl of the Philippines due to their
abundant vegetable products like Baguio beans, cabbage and Irish potatoes as
well as strawberries. They prefer to spend most of their time working in the
fields rather than begging for help. They may not be sociable but they are
kind, hospitable, sincere and humble.

Origin of Bendian (Bendiyjan)

It is when the Benguet warriors would arrive with the head of the enemy
they killed that a bendian ritual is performed ( Disok ,2003). It was an old
native belief that they would prosper economically when they succeed in
killing an enemy and has a victory celebration. With this, they believed that
their plants would be productive and their animals would also easily increase
in number. This celebration would last for one and a half day characterized
by the bendian or sed-sed dances butchering of some chicken, dog and pigs
for offering and for food. But during the 19 th and 20th century, the Spanish
authorities prevented the headhunting activities of Benguet population, as a
result, whenever the ‘mambunong’ discovers that there is a need to perform
Bendian to cure an illness, they have to modify the headhunting activity. They
improvise human head out of a big fern or out of banana stump and use it for
the celebration. Bendian is performed for many reasons. Some of which is to
heal a prolong illness, relieve natural calamities such as famine and drought
and to celebrate a bountiful harvest. However, the biggest Bendian is to
celebrate a victory in war and a successful headhunt. The arrival of
successful headtakers called “olol” is met with great festivities by the entire
village. The Bendian festival celebrated by Benguet Ibaloy is always big and
extraordinary. It involves the village circling and dancing around the “olol”
leader while executing the arm movements. Lasting until the wee hours of the
night. The Bendian ritual ends on the sounds loudest “oway” or a war cry.
This circle dance of Benguet is restaged, keeping true to the dance ‘s context
and meaning. Long known as a dance to celebrate the arrival of successful
headhunters, the Bendiyan has taken a new face.
It is part of every Benguet festivity with the circles slowly giving way to
other formations and interpretations (Baucas,2000). Nowadays,, the Kabayan
community institutionalized the ritual into a
Bindiyan Cañao or festival. It is done not
necessary for the same purpose mentioned
above, but also for tourism, entertainment,
cultural identity and as a link from past to
present.
How Bendian Dance is Performed
The present practice of performing this
Bendian celebration is to start by butchering
a pig in the evening of the first day. The
playing of gongs and drums are also done during the first night until the next
day. The sed-sed dance or actual dance

of bendian starting the

morning of the second day of
the celebration upon the
arrival of the three warriors or
headhunters with the head of
an enemy in the morning. The
dance is led by the three
“olol”. The leader among the
three hunters is called
“kabasilja”.This leadsman,
lead the dance throughout the
occasion proving his
leadership in headhunting
(Baucas, 2000).
The dance is accompanied by
the musical instruments
consists of the kalsa, pinsak,
solibao, kimbal and the tiketik. The musicians or player can stay in the middle
or at the sides . The kalsa, pinsak, and tiketik are played in the middle as
encircled by the dancers. The kalsa goes ahead the pinsak followed by the
tiketik player. The rhythm of the bendian dance as well as the bases for
tuning the kalsa and pinsak are determined by the solibao and the kimbal.
Thus , a good combination of the solibao and the kimbal is important in
producing well-blended sound that inspires the dancers.
Dance formation , arm movements and meanings
The dance formation and arm movements of dancers are replete with
symbolic meanings and significance according to Pungayan (1988).
Dancers for a circle formation which means ‘unity’ and cooperation.
Dimbaban: the hand gesture stimulate eagle flight in search of prey as to
warriors searching enemy.
Salabasao: The warriors raise their hands in the air, it is a gesture of
boasting, brave and proud.

Kinikian: It is a challenging action, a gesture that you’re ready to fight.

Inushungan: A gesture of protection, it is done facing the inner circle.

Inudian: Protection for the community

Pinajosan: They have now in their palm the fruit of victory, the blessings, the
good fortune.

Inabaya: Hands on the waist, suggest that they can now carry home their
respective dwelling, the fruits of their victory and good fortunes.
The aim of this paper is to present the aesthetic assessment of ethno
choreology of Bendian dance based on universal criteria which is interaction
of materials, form, expression, and the function of art in society. Ethno
choreology reflects the relatively recent attempt to apply academic thought to
why people dance and what it means. It is not just the study or cataloging of
the thousands of external forms of dances—the dance moves, music, and
costumes in various parts of the world, but the attempt to come to grips with
dance as existing within the social events of a given community as well as
within the cultural history of a community. Dance is not just a static
representation of history, not just a repository of meaning, but a producer of
meaning each time it is produced,not just a living mirror of a culture, but a
shaping part of culture, a power within the culture.

“The power of dance rests in acts of performance by dancers and

spectators alike, in the process of making sense of dance… and in
linking dance experience to other sets of ideas and social
experiences.”

Many Philippine cultures and countries have national and ceremonial

dances; few of them carry the social and historical significance of their
Dancing. These elaborate dances not only help communities celebrate their
festivals and specials events, they also help them tell their stories and record
their history.
These dances were not only celebratory they were also instructive and were
used to teach the younger generation about morals and values. They were
also used to praise and pray to the gods and give thanks for a bountiful
harvest or a successful hunt or blessings from above.

II. AESTHETIC CRITERIA

Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that examines the nature of art and
our experience of it. It emerged during the 18th century in Europe and
developed in England as philosophers grouped together such fields as poetry,
sculpture, music, and dance. They classified all the arts into one category and
called them les beaux arts or the fine arts (Bruyn) 
The theories on aesthetics of art carry truth. But they also illustrate the
problem of a complex subject. Art cannot be defined by categories that
separate its dynamics in society. Gotshalk argue that defining art by
“categories” is part of the problem. Thus , he points out his universal criteria.
It is where I base my criteria in judging or assessing the bendian dance.
These are criteria in terms of the interaction of materials, form, expression,
and the function of art in society. For art criticism and assessment , each of
these aspects of art has its own dynamics, but they are also powerfully
interactive, and they need to support one another.  
Interaction of Materials
The materials of the artist such as the pigments, tones, timbre, marble,
etc. – are part of the artist’s tools, and usually involved with the artist’s
intent. The proper resolution in the differences in these materials (as red vs.
blue in painting, or as faster vs. slower in music) is critical to understanding a
work of art. In painting, pigments have different hues and values of intensity
that must be brought together to create an aesthetic experience. In sculpture,
marble has its contrarieties in grain, color, texture, and sheen, etc. In creating
a work of art these contrasting qualities must join aesthetically.   For dance,
the time and tempo must work together. Thus, the dancers should be able to
go with the tempo, timbre, and volume of the instruments used so that they
will have aesthetic connection. All movement and stillness occur in time. It is
remarkable how differently people sense time, either as a very precise
monitor or a very loose construct. As an element of dance, people have
different preferences and strengths. One consideration of movement in time
is how fast or how slow the movement is. The speed of the movement is the
tempo. When dancers ask for the tempo of the phrase, they are asking how
fast the movement will need to be (Schrader).

Form (harmony, balance, centrality, development)

Then, what are the principles that express these “forms? Gotshalk says
that the form of every work expresses a combination of principles. The
principles include harmony, balance, centrality, and development. A work of
art like a poem, a play, a painting, and a sculpture exhibits some unity based
on these principles, which are universal to art. Gotshalk illustrates in detail
how such principles operate, for Harmony for example, achieves a unity by
recurrence in the artwork. Balance achieves unity . The principle of centrality
then becomes evident when “an ensemble of items is so connected that one
item or group is given aesthetic dominance over the others,” which remain
important but subordinate to it. The principle of development may supercede
“centrality” in its aesthetic value as in dance for example , the story that
does not have a high point but reveals progressively a character, a mood, or a
situation. Again, centrality is based on hierarchical order, but the principle of
development is an arrangement of items as prior and posterior, not as
superior and inferior.

 Expression
Now “form” must connect dialectically with “expression” in the work. 
By “expression” in a work of art Gotshalk means “its great wealth of content;
the feelings, ideas, character, and personality – lying behind the material
surface” and within the structural form. The dancers introduces expression
consciously or unconsciously. Principles in the use of “materials” and “form”
should then support that expression.  For example, in dance a nimble body is
needed to express eloquent sensations of weight and lightness, thrust, rising
and falling, floating, soaring and sinking. According from the Expressionist
theories, Art represents the inner life of the artist. As Leo Tolstoy said that
art evokes a feeling to be shared “by means of movements, lines, colors,
sounds, or forms expressed in words”. Art is a human activity consisting in
this, that one man consciously, by means of certain external signs, hands on
to others feelings he has lived through, and that other people are infected by
these feelings and also experience them. As David Best noted, dance
movement can be appreciated without being aware of the relevant categories
of dance but, in order to fully appreciate the manner in which movement
articulates a choreographic approach to movement, a dance must be situated
within its relevant stylistic context.
 Function of art in society
According to the Hermeneutic theories, Art is an expression of the
artist’s intent and social setting. Frederich Schleiermacher and Wilhelm
Dilthey emphasized the intent of the artist. The classic principle of “beauty is
in the eye of the beholder” has a major role to play in this new agenda. The
“beholder” is not just an individual, but groups where important bonds and
norms are created. Sociologists study this variability through qualitative
studies. As we shall see, beauty can be virtually anything if you have the
eyes to see it. But seeing beauty requires entering into the life of the group.
And this involves the method of participant observation of art to society with
more accuracy.

The implication of this criteria to dance class instructors,

choreographers, dancers, and the students is that they will learn something
about writing, critical thinking, the importance of historical and cultural
knowledge in understanding our world, the methods for finding such
knowledge, and the nature of evaluation and how it can be justified through
dance. These are skills which should be central in a dance education and
should continue to insist that what we teach including dance is essential to
the education of every citizen. According to some dance instructors, it is
tasking teaching the practical aspect of dance as many students are not able
to understand their history vis-à-vis the philosophical background of their
folk dances. Most of these students get to know nothing about folk dance
within or around their cultural environments. While the best form and method
of dance teaching for students is to draw the dance raw materials from their
various backgrounds. Dance teaching is only easy when the dance teacher is
able to situate a particular dance to a philosophical interpretation. Since
dance is a way of communication through nonverbal means, it beholds on both
the dance teacher and the students to be able to philosophically interpret any
dance in question. With the cultural mutation, it is a task to students to
understand their roots thereby making dance presentations to become a quasi
art. Dance like any per formative genre that is poised to communication
should be well interpreted so as to communicate its thematic preoccupation.
III. RUBRIC
The rubric were categorized into four; (4) Excellent, (3) good, (2)
acceptable, and (1) partial. Descriptions for every category in each criterion
was also presented.
Category Excellent (4) Good (3) Acceptable (2) Partial (1)

Interaction of Shows a Accurate in Generally Shows a basic

materials (30%) complete beat, tempo, accurate in beat, understanding of
understanding of rhythms of tempo, rhythms tempo and beat,
tempo and beat dance of dance but falls behind
and stays on sequences sequences most and/or speeds up
rhythm throughout the of the time.  in places or
throughout the dance.  makes errors in
dance.  rhythm. 

Form (20%) Dancers Dancers gets Dancers Dancer is not

demonstrates into position for requires some clear about the
clearly the the dance with assistance from dance formation
correct dance little assistance leader while
formation and from the leader getting into
helps others position
with only an
occasional hint
from the leader

Expression Dancers Dancers at Dancers is Dancers

(20%) consistently times will progressing demonstrates a
demonstrates demonstrate towards the mix of styles
“stylistic” moves “stylistic” demonstration of which do not
to express moves to “stylistic” moves show
eloquent express that express the progression on
sensations eloquent characteristic of the specific
sensations the dance theme of the
dance

Participates in Participates in Participates in Participates only

Function of art dance with dance with a dance. with strong
in society (30%) enthusiasm, and positive attitude. encouragement.
encourages Dancers needed
others to Dancers were at to maintain focus Dancers is
participate. times focused in on the dance. easily distracted
expressing the and finds it
Dancers were story and difficult to
consistently message of the maintain focus,
focused and dance. sometimes
able to express distract others.
the story of the
dance and the
message it
implies.

IV. EVALUATE THE BENDIAN DANCE

I downloaded three presentation of Bendian dance from you tube to analyze

and to critic.
1. Bendian Dance of Benguet.mp4
2. Bendian Dance.mp4
3. Adivay Shi Avong 6th Ibaloy Day Dance February 21,2015
One of the presenters modernize the dance steps /choreography aside from
that they made use of recorded instrumental for the music. The other
presenters are authentic especially the number three which I gave a perfect
score because they really presented the story we wanted to depict. Thus, I
want to suggest to the choreographers and the judges of such kind of dance
to understand the true depth of the dance, you need to learn, to view the
dance as a messenger with a story to tell. That story is about the question:
"Why do people dance the way they do?" To more fully realize the potential
value of folk dance as both a social and recreational hobby and a field of
serious study, its unique make up needs to be understood. Simply, there are
four ingredients which combine to create folk dance which do not apply to
any other dance form:

1. The Ethnology of the Dance:  Who danced the dance? Where? When?
And why? What role did the dance play in their secular and religious
life? Marriage market? Rite of Passage? Easter?
2. The Character of the Dance:  Often called "styling," now we ask "why
do people dance the way they do?" This has something to do with the
expression.
3. The Relationship to the Music:  Interestingly, there are folk dances that
are not accompanied by music and there are other dances that do not
have a definite rhythm. In either case, the dance has a powerful control
that holds the dance together in spite of the lack of musical rhythm.
They are, however, rare exceptions; musical accompaniment is an
integral part of the dance event and adherence to the rhythm is
consider to be of utmost importance.
4. The Choreography: The arrangement of steps, figures, and motifs.
Though the least important element of the dance, this is where too
many folk dancers focus their attention, neglecting the first three. It
should be noted that in some dances it is considered rude and
inappropriate to deviate from the prescribed steps, where others have
no such limitations and improvised variations are admired and skill at
the dance is an enhancement to one's social status. Whichever custom
applies should be understood and respected.

V. SUMMARY /CONCLUSION
The Bendian Dance were assessed differently on interaction of
materials, form, expression and function of art in society . One should keep in
mind that Bendian Dance , just as other dances, is preconditioned by many
factors: geographical, economic, social, and cultural. Thus, the aesthetic
assessment of dances and other works of art is largely dependent on who is
assessing the artwork, which culture that person comes from, as well as on
many other factors. This may create an incentive for continued research in
the area, as well as for making comparisons between different types of
dances.

As far as Bendian Dance is a cultural dance and culture has been a part of
man’s existence, the hand gestures should not be modified or modernized
because every gesture has its meaning in relation to the dance story.
 Aesthetic of
Bendian Dance
Ethnologic Dance
originated in
Kabayan, Benguet
Research Paper of Jenefer Cagas-Tiongan
Presented in the National Conference of Teachers in Linguistics
University of the Philippines
May 16,2014