PHYSICAL EDUCATION

AND HEALTH 3
Lesson 3
Dance as an Art
Dance is an art of rhythmic bodily
movements that projects ordered
sequence of moving visual pattern of
line, 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 dance that are considered an
art form are folk dance, ballet, and
contemporary dance.
Philippine Folk Dance
What is folk dance?
 Philippine 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 which 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, superstitious, 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.”
 Philippine Folk Dance
 Lopez (2006) defined Philippine Folk Dances as “a traditional mode of
expression that employs bodily movements of redundant patterns linked to
definitive features of rhythmic beats or music.”
 She further stated 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 being confused or used

interchangeably with ethnic and national dance.
What are the difference between
folk, national and ethnic dance?
 Philippine Folk Dance
 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 dances 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 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
Pamdango Rinconada
Pandango sa Ilaw
 
Philippine Folk Dance
 Ethnic dances or ethnological dances are those performed
in primitive tribes and have retained their close kinship with
religious ritual and community custom. 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.
 In the Philippines, dances originating from the Ifugao people
of the northern Luzon, T’boli tribe from Southern Mindanao,
and Tagbanua tribe from Palawan are examples of ethnic
dances. Below are few examples of the different types of
ethnic dances:
 Philippine Folk Dance

 Ritual dances – dances that depict ritual ceremonies. Examples

are Dugso (Bukidnon) and Pagdidiwata (Palawan).
 
 Life-cycle dances – dances relating to the cycle of human life
such as birthing, courtship, wedding, and funeral. Examples are
Binasuan (Pangasinan) and Daling-daling (Muslim courtship
dance from Sulu).

 Occupational dances – dances that exhibit work and

occupation of the dances. Examples are Mag-Asik (Cotabato)
and Mananagat (Cebu) dances.

 
Binasuan dance Maglalatik dance

Dugso ritual dance

Philippine Folk Dance

 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. These
are hundreds of traditional dance collections found in the
country that are mostly for all occasions. They come from the
southern to northern parts of the Philippine Islands. These
dances exhibit the customs, ideas, beliefs, superstitious, and
events of daily living in a certain Filipino community. The
origin of the dances may be seen by looking at the costumes,
props, and implements of a certain group or tribe.
Philippine Folk Dance
 However, due to acculturation, Philippine indigenous
dances may have evolved and modified since cultures of
other countries have greatly influenced these dances. The
manifestations 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 influence by the
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
 Classificaton of
Philippine Folk Dance
 Types of Philippine Folk Dance
 There are several ways to classify Philippine folk dances. According to Francisca
Reyes-Aquino, folk dances may be classified by geographical extent of origin, speed
of movement, formation, and distinguishing feature. Lately, folkloric specialists
merged regional and functional classifications to sort out the different dance material
(Lopez, 2006).

 The three major regional classifications of Philippine folk dances are tribal dances
from the Cordilleras, dances from lowland Christians, and Muslim dances.
 Tribal dances from the Cordilleras – include non-Christian dances from the
Cordilleras.
 Lowland Christian dances – dances coming from places with western
influences such as that of the Tagalogs, Ilokanos, Pampangueños, Bisayans, and
Bicolanas. These dances are influenced by Hispanic and European cultures.
 
 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.
 
 Types of Philippine Folk Dance
 Philippine folk dances, regardless of their classifications, may also be
categorized as:

1. Life-cycle dances – dances that serve as ritual 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 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’s people. Palay 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).
 Types of Philippine Folk Dance

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 or mental indignity or discomfort” (Lopez, 2006).
Example of theses is the Pandanggo sa Sambalilo dance from the Tagalog
regions 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.
 Types of Philippine Folk Dance

7. Mimetic or drama dances – dances that mimic animals, inanimate objects,

or other people. The dances 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 (Biñan, Laguna) is an example of a war dance as this depict 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 Muslim won and the Christians sought conciliation in order to convert the
Muslim Moros to Christianity (Aquino, 1979).
Types of Philippine Folk Dance

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 merriment belong to this group (Lopez, 2006).
Examples are Minuet Yano (Iriga, Camarines Sur), Alay
(Tagalog regions), and Habanera Botoleña (Botolan, Zambales)
dances. Minuet 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, 1979).