Contemporary Philippine Arts
LECTURES/PPT AND HANDOUTS-BASED
PERFORMING ARTS
MUSIC
- Filipinos love to sing. No celebration is complete
without a karaoke or Videoke machine.
Contemporary Music in the Philippines is a product
of our indigenous traditions and colonial influences.
Though the country is geographically located in the
east, our music is heavily influenced by the west.
This is no doubt due to being under centuries of
Spanish rule and almost half a century under
American control.
Examples of musical forms were:
 Kundiman and Harana
 Ballad
 Chamber Music
 Choral Music Liturgical Music Opera
 Pop Music Protest Songs
Kundiman
- The "Kundiman" is a musical form that is a
product of Spanish colonization. Kundiman is an art
song that signifies love and affection for someone.
It is performed as a solo vocal composition
combined with an instrumental accompaniment to
achieve musical harmony.
Example:
Nicanor S. Abelardo (1893-1934) "Nasaan ka,
Irog?"
Dr. Francisco Santiago (1889-1947) "Pakiusap "
Harana
- The "Harana" is a traditional courtship ritual in the
Philippines wherein a suitor serenades his object to
affection. Important Note: The harana is almost
always performed by a man while the kundiman
can be performed by both genders.
Ballad
- The Ballad is traditionally a song that narrates an
event in a community. The style varies from region
to region and from one ethnic tribe to another.
Yoyoy Villame (1932-2007) "Magellan "
Chamber Music
- Chamber music is a form of instrumental music
composed by a small ensemble wherein each part
is played by one player, as opposed to an orchestra
where a part is performed by a group of three or
eight musicians. Chamber music in the country was
pioneered by Dr. Francisco Santiago and Nicanor
S. Abelardo
Choral Music
- Is a musical composition intended to be
performed by a group of singers called a "Choir".
The choir is arranged according to voice categories
such as soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.
Liturgical Music
- Liturgical Music is songs intended for Christian
church services. Its early form was inspired by
Jewish chants during their religious rituals.
Opera
- Opera is a combination of both music and theater.
It is a drama that entails collaborative efforts of
singers, dancers, composers, choreographers, etc.
The opera was introduced in the Philippines in the
middle of the 1800s
Pop Music
- Popular music or pop music is used to describe
music that is really available to the broad populace.
It is an umbrella term that encompasses a
multitude of different genres of music such as RnB,
Rap, Rock, Hip-hop, Dance, etc.
Protest Songs
- Protest songs are songs that bring to light
injustices and inequality in society. These seek to
inspire nationalism and heroism from their listeners.
John Lennon "Imagine " Meaning: Imagine a world
of peace without materialism, without separation
and even without religions.
DANCE
- Much like music, is very popular in the
Philippines. It is a way to bond and share our
talents with the rest of the community. This can be
seen on how we can easily join in the latest dance
craze and post it online. This tradition of passing of
skills and knowledge is the basis of the continuing
development of Philippine contemporary dance.
The following dance forms were:
 Aerobic Dance
 Ballet
 Folkdance
 Street Dance
Aerobic Dance
Aerobics is a dance routine made into an exercise
program. It is usually accompanied by upbeat pop
music. Examples were jazzercise, aero hip-hop,
ballroom dancing, belly dancing, etc. Formal
aerobic class has three phases; the first is the
warm-up, followed by aerobic Dance and capped
with cooldown exercises.
Contemporary Philippine Arts
LECTURES/PPT AND HANDOUTS-BASED
Ballet
- Ballet is both a dance and theater art. It is a style
and dance technique that follows a strict set of
moves and performances. It originated from the
European court spectacles and was later brought to
the Philippines by the Americans.
- There are different contemporary reiterations of
the ballet form, namely, "modern ballet", "opera-
ballet" and "folkloric ballet". Modern ballet uses
traditional ballet techniques and style set to
contemporary ideas and subjects.
Folk Dance
- Folk dance is the different dances performed by
various cultural groups throughout the country. It
changes from region to region and is performed by
nonprofessional dancers who are members of the
said community.
Street Dance
Street dance is a term used to describe vernacular
dances, or dances that developed organically
within a community. Street dance is a dance form
that began in urban open spaces, such as parks,
streets, yards, and night clubs.
THEATER
- Many say that theater is the ultimate art since it is
a collaborative art form that combines the various
disciplines of art such as literature, visual arts,
music, and dance. The development of
contemporary theater arts in the country parallels
that of the other performing arts. Theater as we
know it today came during the Spanish
colonization. It was used in tandem with the other
disciplines of art to spread Christianity.
The following theater forms were:
 Absurd
 Stage Show
 Brechtian Theater
 Children's theater
 Melodrama Dramatic
 Monologue
 Tula-Dula
 Political Theater
 Musical Theater
 Realism
Absurd
The absurd is a genre of modern play that
deliberately exaggerates events and situations to
emphasize a point. The characters are often made
stereotypes. This theatrical form originated from the
West.
Stage Show
- The stage shows or bodabil is a theatrical
presentation of various acts and performances.
These performances may be a production of the
following: comedy skills, circus acts, musical and
dance numbers, acrobatics, magic show and the
like
Brechtian Theater
- The Brechtian Theater is an example of a modern
theatrical show. It also referred to as "epic theater".
It is based on Bertolt Brecht's (1898-1956)
proposition that the audience should not
emotionally identify with characters but stimulate of
self- reflection and critical analysis instead.
Children's Theater
- Children's theater are plays that are either
performed by children or by adult. In both cases,
the primary audience are children. This type of
theater production is intended to educate, inspire
and encourage creativity and value formation.
Often used materials that are based on folktales
and legends.
Melodrama
- Melodrama is a nonmusical play that is intended
to elicit tears and emotional attachment to the
characters. The main characters of these dramas
were often victims of tragedies and suffered cruelty
from the people around them.
Dramatic Monologue
- The dramatic monologue is a type of play wherein
an individual actor speaks and acts out the
character's thoughts and emotions. This one-
person performance if often used for the audience
to better understand a main character.
Tula-dula
- Tula-dula or play poem was developed by the
University of the Philippines in the 1970s. It is
minimalist in attack wherein a poem is dramatized
by a narrator who recites the piece, and two or
three actors provide the movement and the sound
effects.
Political Theater Political theater is a form of theater
whose intention is to transform or improve the
current system of the government. Some political
dramas are direct to the point, while others use
symbolism and allegory to air their political views.
Contemporary Philippine Arts
LECTURES/PPT AND HANDOUTS-BASED

Musical Theater
- Musical theater is plays wherein music is an
essential part of the production. This includes
traditional Filipino theater such as Sarswela and
ritualistic dramas. With the love of Filipinos for
music, it is not surprising that is one of the most
popular forms of theater.

Realism
- Realism is a type of drama that provides an
accurate depiction of real-life situations. This is
achieved through well-developed and authentic
portrayal of characters as well as realistic plot,
dialogue, and staging.
- Considering all of these in the present times all
the performing art forms, be it dance, drama, or
music are flourishing in the country and the world.
These forms of art have been a medium for
generating awareness about various social evils
plaguing society.