Folk Dance

- The oldest form of dance and the earliest form of communication

- The traditional dance of a given country which evolved naturally and spontaneously with everyday activities.
- Folk dance or folk dance is a type of dance or dance of the natives in a place. It is the kind of dance that they
themselves have performed that is influenced by their beliefs, religion and tradition. Many of them were also
influenced by the occupiers in their area.

Francisca Reyes-Aquino (March 9, 1899 – November 21, 1983) was a Filipino folk dancer and academic
noted for her research on Philippine folk dance. She is a recipient of the Republic Award of Merit and the
Ramon Magsaysay Award and is a designated National Artist of the Philippines for Dance.

Francisca was born in Bocaue, Bulacan on March 9, 1899. Reyes-Aquino studied Physical Education and
graduated with a BS Education degree from the University of the Philippines and Sargent College in Boston.
Among Reyes-Aquino's most noted works is her research on folk dances and songs as a student assistant at the
University of the Philippines (UP). Pursuing her graduate studies, she started her work in the 1921 traveling to
remote barrios in Central and Northern Luzon. 
She published a thesis in 1926 entitled "Philippine Folk Dances and Games" where she noted on previously
unrecorded forms of local celebration, ritual and sports. Reyes-Aquino discovered and taught dances through
her books such as Tinikling, Maglalatik, Lubi-lubi, Polka sa Nayon. Her thesis was made with teachers and
playground instructors from both public and private institutions in mind. This work was expanded with the
official support of UP President Jorge Bocobo in 1927. She then served at the university as part of the faculty
for 18 years. 
She served as supervisor of physical education at the Bureau of Education in the 1940s. The education body
distributed her work and adapted the teaching of folk dancing in an effort to promote awareness among the
Filipino youth regarding their cultural heritage. President Ramon Magsaysay conferred her the Republic
Award of Merit in 1954 for her “outstanding contribution toward the advancement of Filipino culture”. Her
contributions to physical education also introduced the subject to the American school curriculum. 
Reyes-Aquino also had other books published including Philippine National Dances (1946), Gymnastics for
Girls (1947), Fundamental Dance Steps and Music (1948), Foreign Folk Dances (1949), Dances for all
Occasion (1950), Playground Demonstration (1951), and Philippine Folk Dances, Volumes I to VI.

Francisca died on November 21, 1983 in Manila, Philippines. 

Reyes-Aquino received recognition for her works such as the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government
Service in 1962 and her designation as National Artist of the Philippines for Dance in 1973. 
Francisca was posthumously honored with a Google Doodle designed of her popular traditional Filipino dance
and it was unveiled on March 9, 2019, to celebrate her 120th birth anniversary and for her very excellent
contributions in Filipino dancing. 

RAMON OBUSAN
National Artist for Dance (2006)
(June 16, 1938 – December 21, 2006)

Ramon Obusan was a dancer, choreographer, stage designer, and artistic director. He achieved
phenomenal success in Philippine dance and cultural work.* He was also acknowledged as a researcher,
archivist and documentary filmmaker who broadened and deepened the Filipino understanding of his
own cultural life and expressions. Through the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Grop (ROFG), he had effected
cultural and diplomatic exchanges using the multifarious aspects and dimensions of the art of dance.
Among the full-length productions he choreographed are the following:

“Vamos a Belen! Series” (1998-2004) Philippine Dances Tradition

“Noon Po sa Amin,” tableaux of Philippine History in song, drama and dance
“Obra Maestra,” a collection of Ramon Obusan’s dance masterpieces
“Unpublished Dances of the Philippines,” Series I-IV
“Water, Fire and Life, Philippine Dances and Music–A Celebration of Life
Saludo sa Sentenyal”
“Glimpses of ASEAN, Dances and Music of the ASEAN-Member Countries”
“Saplot (Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group): Philippines Costumes in Dance”

Since 1986, the Ramon A. Obusan Folkloric Group has remained one of the resident dance companies of
the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The ROFG’s presence in the acclaimed institution served as the
avenue where it could showcase the researched materials into season productions and further the
objective of introducing traditional performances into mainstream theater. Thru these productions,
cultural awareness had a means to flourish thanks to the accessibility of various sectors to witness and
experience shows sponsored by the national theater. Cultural outreach bolstered the programs so that
other areas of the country could also enjoy the performances outside the confines of the CCP. Through
its National Tours, both performers and audiences alike benefited from the exposure and interaction. It
was an ideal win-win situation, shared experiences that rewarded both parties and attained the
objective of bringing arts to the people, firsthand