Itik-Itik

According to history of this dance, a young woman named Kanang (short

for Cayetana) happened to be the best performer in the province of Surigao del
Norte. At one baptismal reception, she was asked to dance the Sibay, and began
improvising her steps in the middle of her performance imitating the movements
of an “itik”, a duck, as it walks with choppy steps and splashes water on its back
while attracting its mate. Because of its unusual steps and fascinating
interpretation, the audience began imitating her.

Itik-Itik is a Philippines folk dance form created by imitating the

“movements of a duck” such as wading, flying, and short steps and splashing
water on their backs like the ducks do. Itik-itik is a mimetic folk dance in the
Philippines. It originated in Surigao in Philippines. Itik-itik was discovered in this
town by National Artist for Dance Francisca Reyes-Aquino. Originating from a
dance called Sibay and performed to the tune of Dejado, the story was told that
an expert young dancer named Cayetana at a barrio of Cantilan during a baptismal
party had become so carried away with the rhythm that she began to improvise
short, choppy steps similar to ducks and then splash water on their backs. The
dance immediately became popular in the province for stage performances and
social dancing. Later, Mr. Antonino Arreza, a native of Cantilan and a grandfather
of Prospero Pichay, Jr. was believed be the one who compose the lyrics of Itik-itik.