EAPP & PE and Health
LECTURES/PPT AND HANDOUTS-BASED
DANCE
- "Dance is an art which deals with the motions of the
human body." - James K. Feibleman, a great philosopher
Dance is an art of rhythmic bodily movements that
projects ordered sequence of moving visual patterns of
line, solid shape, and color (Thomas Munro in Kraus and
Gaufman, 1981).
- The postures and gestures of which these visual
patterns are created suggest kinesthetic experiences of
tension, relaxation, and emotional moods and attitudes
associated with them. Some of these dances that are
considered an art form are folk dance, ballet, and
contemporary dance.
PHILIPPINE FOLK DANCE
WHAT IS FOLK DANCE?
- Folk dances are the indigenous dances of any specific
"folk" or the common people. They are traditional
customary or recreational dance forms of a given
country that have evolved naturally and were handed
down across generations.
- Folk dances are related to everything of importance in
our daily lives, such as customs, rituals, and occupations
of a specific group of people. Most of these dances are
related in origin to religious belief, stemming from
emotions, superstitions, festivals, ceremonies of birth,
courtship, marriage, death, war, and countless themes
common to all people around the world.
According to Duggan, Schlottmann, and Rutledge
(1948), "folk dance became the overt expression of
emotions and ideas which were peculiarly significant or
the re-enactment of customs and events constituting an
important part of their history and patterns of daily
living."
- Lopez (2006) defined Philippine folk dance as "a
traditional mode of expression that employs bodily
movements of redundant patterns linked to definitive
features of rhythmic beats or music."
- She further dated that Philippine folk dance, to be
called such, should have the following characteristics
1. It is traditional
2. It has an expressive behavior.
3. Simple, basic rhythm dominates the folk dance and
establishes the pattern of movement.
4. It is created by an unknown choreographer or by
communal efforts
5. It performs a function in the life of the (folk) people.
- Oftentimes, the term folk dance is confused or used
interchangeably with ethnic and national dance.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FOIK,
NATIONAL, AND ETHNIC DANCES?
- Folk dances are traditional dances found in a certain
country while national dances are also traditional folk
dances but have a national scope. They are popular and
widely danced throughout a given country, often with a
number of regional variations.
The Philippine dances Cariñosa, Curacha, and
Pandango are examples of national folk dances as they
are popular dances throughout the country.
- Pandango, for example, has several variations coming
from both the Luzon and Visayas islands. Even within
one locality, dancers have different ways of performing it.
Examples of Pandango dances are:
 Pandango Ilocano
 Pandango Visayan
 Pandango Dumagueteño
 Pandango Ivatan
 Pandango Rinconada
 Pandango sa llaw
- Ethnic dances or ethnological dances are those
performed in primitive tribes and have retained their
close kinship with religious rituals and community
customs. These dances may require a certain level of
special performing skills" (Kraus, 1962) that are symbolic
in meaning, making it harder for those outside the group
to understand. They can be performed in three different
categories, namely, ritual, life cycle, and occupational.
Did you know?
The first National Artist for Dance and the Mother of
Philippine Folk Dance is Francisca Reyes Aquino.
Francisca Reyes-Aquino is acknowledged as the
pioneer of folk dancing in the Philippines. This Bulakeña
began her research on folk dances in the 1920s, making
trips to remote barrios in Central and Northern Luzon,
her research on the unrecorded forms of local
celebration, ritual, and sport resulted in a 1926 thesis
titled "Philippine Folk Dances and Games," and
arranged specifically for use by teachers and playground
instructors in public and private schools.
- In 1954, she received the Republic Award of Merit
given by the late Pres. Ramon Magsaysay for
outstanding contribution towards the advancement of
Filipino culture," one among the many awards and
recognition given to her.
- For her great efforts in researching and popularizing
Philippine folk dances, she received an honorary doctor
of science in physical education degree from Boston
University in 1949; an honorary doctor of humanities
degree from Far Eastern University; a certificate of
award from the UNESCO National Commission and a
presidential citation for distinguished service to the 10th
World Jamboree from the Boy Scouts of the Philippines
in 1959; the Rizal Pro Patria Award in 1961; and the
Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service in
1962.
In the Philippines, dances originating from the Ifugao
people of northern Luzon, Tboli tribe from Southern
Mindanao, and Tagbanua tribe from Palawan are
examples of ethnic dances.
Below are a few examples of the different types of
ethnic dances:
a. Ritual dances - dances that depict ritual ceremonies.
Examples are Dugso (Bukidnon) and Pagdidiwoto
(Palawan),
EAPP & PE and Health
LECTURES/PPT AND HANDOUTS-BASED
b. Life-cycle dances - dances relating to the cycle of
human life such as birthing, courtship, wedding, and
funeral.
Examples are Binesuan (Pangasinan) and Daling-doling
(Muslim courtship dance from Sulu)
c. Occupational dances - dances that exhibit work and
occupation of the dancers. Examples are Mag Asik
(Cotalsato) and Mananagat (Cebu) dances.
- All national and ethnic dances are folk dances, but not
all folk dances are considered national or ethnic dances.
The Philippines has very rich and varied folk dances.
There are hundreds of traditional dance collections
found in the country that are mostly for all occasions.
They come from the south.
- In northern parts of the Philippine islands. These
dances exhibit the customs, ideas, beliefs superstitions,
and events of daily living in a certain Filipino community.
The design of the dances may be seen by looking at the
costumes, props, and implements of a certain group or
tribe.
- However, due to acculturation, Philippine indigenous
dances may have evolved and modified since cultures of
other countries have greatly influenced these dances.
The manifestation can be seen by the kinds of
costumes, props, music, and dance steps used and
integrated into some of the regional and national folk
dances of the Philippines. Some of these dances were
influenced by Western cultures, such as the Americans
and Spaniards and others were influenced by the
neighboring Asian countries such as Indonesia,
Malaysia, and China to name a few.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF
PHILIPPINE FOLK DANCES?
- There are several ways to classify Philippine folk
dances. According to Francisca Reyes-Aquino folk
dances may be classified by geographical extent of
origin, nature, speed of movement, formation, and
distinguishing feature. Lately, folkloric specialists merged
regional and functional classifications to sort out the
different dance materials (Lopez, 2006).
- The three major regional classifications of Philippine
folk dances are tribal dances from the Cordilleras,
dances from lowland Christians, and Muslim dances.
1. Tribal dances from the Cordilleras - Include non-
Christian dances from the Cordilleras.
2. Lowland Christian dances - dances coming from
places with Western influences such as that of the
Tagalogs, Ilokanos, Pampangueños, Pangasinense,
Bisayans, and Bicolonas. These dances are influenced
by Hispanic and European cultures.
3. Muslim dances - dances from the people of the
Southern Islands of the Philippines such as in Mindanao
and Sulu. These dances are influenced by Arabic and
Indo-Malayan cultures.
Philippine folk dances, regardless of their classifications,
may also be categorized as:
1. Life-cycle dances - dances that serve as rituals as
one passes to a different stage in life such as from birth
to childhood to adulthood, from singlehood to marriage,
and from life to death. Below are the different dances
that portray the life cycle:
a. courtship dances
b. wedding dances
c. funeral dances
2. Festival dances - dances that are either religious or
secular and are connected with the celebration of
recurring events of special significance.
3. Occupational dances - dances that depict the means
of livelihood of the Filipino people Poloy festival, a
national dance in rice-growing regions, is an example of
an occupational dance wherein dancers portray different
steps in rice growing from planting to harvesting to
threshing, flailing, pounding, airing and winnowing
(Aquino, 1979).
4. Ritual and ceremonial dances - dances performed
as part of the rituals and ceremonies of a certain tribe or
group of people.
5. Game dances - derivations from local folk games.
One example of these dances is the Pukol dance from
Aklan and Capiz in the Panay region. Pukol means "to
strike or bump each other Aquino, 1979). 6. Joke and
trickster dances - include jokes or tricks played by a
dancer on another or a group of dancers who is one of
them. The intention is to render that individual to a
physical mental indignity or discomfort" (Lopez, 2006).
Example of these is the Pandanggo sa Sambolilo dance
from the Tagalog region wherein a girl teases her male
partner by playing with his hat then pushes him when he
is about to succeed in getting back and putting on his hat
from the floor.
7. Mimetic or drama dances - dances that mimic
animals, inanimate objects, or other people. The dancers
get into roles other than themselves and become actors
totally immersed in the story the dances tell. The itik-itik
dance from Surigao is an example of a mimetic dance as
it imitates the movements of a duck.
8. War dances - dances that express feud and enmity
wherein two male dancers engage in physical combat
with Spartan-like intensity (Lopez, 2006), Maglalatik
(liñan, Lagunalisan example of a war dance as this
depicts a battle between Muslims of southern Philippines
and the Christian Filipinos of the lowlands over latik (the
residue after coconut boils down). In this dance, the
Muslims won, and the Christians sought conciliation in
order to convert the Muslim Moras to Christianity Aquino,
1979.
9. Social amenities dances - dances that express
social graces, hospitality, and offerings of gifts to friends.
All social ballroom dances and most of the Filipinized"
Western dances that show camaraderie and merriment
belong to this group (Lopez, 2006). Examples are
Minuete Yono (triga, Camarines Sur). Algy (Tagalog
regions), and Habanent Botoleña (Botolan, Zambalesi
dances. Minuete Yano, for instance, is performed by
people from high social standing in the community
during special occasions honoring high government
officials and church dignitaries (Aquino, 19791