“DANCE IN THE PHILIPPINES”

Dances in the Philippines can be categorized in many ways. They can be classified according to their
nature. Geographical location can be one. For instance, dance that is local to a particular place, one that has
no other form variations of this dance- can be classified as local or regional dance. Whereas, dances that
have different versions in the different places in the Philippines is called national dances.

Western Visayans folk dancing runs the gamut from worship dances to courtship and wedding dances. 
A distinctive type is the wide assortment of mimetic dances in which movements try to mimic, for example,
the flight of birds, the catching of fish, the making of wine, and other aspects of Visayans life.

Example of Western Visayan Dance:

BINANOG is an indigenous dance from the Philippines that features the movement of an eagle/hawk
to the symbolic beating of bamboo and gong that synchronizes the pulsating movements of the feet and the
hands of the lead and follow dancers. This specific type of Binanog dance comes from the Panay-Bukidnon
indigenous community in Panay Island, Western Visayas, Philippines.The Panay Bukidnon, also known as
Suludnon, Tumandok or Panayanon Sulud is usually the identified indigenous group associated with the
region and whose territory cover the mountains connecting the provinces of Iloilo, Capiz and Aklan in the
island of Panay, one of the main Visayan islands of the Philippines.

KURATSA:

HISTORY:

The Kuratsa is actually remarkably popular with this Visayan man and women specially this Waray
man and women of the Western Visayas region in the Philippines and illustrates every critical special
occasion inside Western Visayas residential areas.The Kuratsa maybe the dancing of courtship from the
Visayas region of the Philippines. At marriage ceremony and fiestas, this Kuratsa serves for the reason that
standard income dancing whereby visitors carry turns pinning income on the woman and groom’s clothes.
That stands for friends’ and families’ wants once and for all chance and affluence inside couple’s future.

The dancing is completed with several pieces, using several distinct tempos. The dance several begin
this efficiency having a ballroom waltz. The actions resemble the mild waltz style. Kuratsa is normally done
during festivals with Bohol as well as other Visayan areas, this dancing symbolizes a fun couple’s make an
effort to get each and every other’s awareness. Then the songs adjustments to your faster defeat with the
“chasing” picture, that the woman dancer flees and also the guy pursues the woman’s all across this dancing
floorboards. The pace accumulates even more with the final aspect, that they run after coming to an end
having a flabbergasted flirtatious picture. The female features received above, and also the guy imitates the
showy chook in a very mating dancing.

Firmly talking, only one several dancing it at the same time. Thought to be the Philippine importance
(supposedly through La Cucaracha dancing usual of the Monterrey region of Mexico) – this Kuratsa is
actually even so, differences in the way of setup compared to a Philippine opposite number. Even this
“basic” Kuratsa songs just isn’t depending on Philippine as well as The Spanish language tunes.

REALIZATION AND INSIGHTS:

By just reading the history I realized that our dance influences from immigrants and conquerors that
colonized our country. I think it is important to have a knowledge and understanding of dance history
because history allows us to gain a better understanding surrounding the events, challenges, and celebrations
that helped to form the people who developed our art form, also it preserves the Philippine culture and pass
it on to the next generation. And by this history they are a uniting force to the Philippine people.