ACTIVITY 1.
1.
Barong Tagalog
Mestiza Dress
Maria Clara Dress
2.
Barong Tagalog is the official national costume of Filipino men, originated from
the northern part of the Philippines, and is originally made of jusi or pineapple cloth
called “pina” (woven from pineapple leaves). It is worn over a Chinese collarless shirt
called camisa de Chino. It exhibits the loose, long lines of its Chinese sources, the
airy tropical appearance of Indo-Malay costume, the elongated effect of Hindu
dressing, and the ornamental restraint of European men's clothing. It is usually used
for formal occasions.
The Mestiza Dress is a formal dress made of expensive lace and fabric adorned
with embroideries. It is the sophisticated version of the national costume, the baro't
saya (blouse and skirt). Made more popular by former Philippine First Lady Imelda
Marcos, some even called it Imelda dress or terno. Mestiza dress is known for its
elegance and butterfly sleeves. It is usually worn for formal occasions.
Maria Clara's dress was named after a mestiza heroine of one of the novels of
the Philippine National hero Dr. Jose Rizal. Its origin was the national costume of
Filipino women which is baro't (shirt) saya (skirt). The Maria Clara gown features a
floor-length paneled skirt of silk or satin and it consists of four separate pieces: the
collarless waist-length, bell sleeved camisa; the bubble-shaped, floor-length saya; the
stiff, neck-covering pañuelo; and the hip-hugging, knee length tapis, or overskirt.
Before, it was used by women in a day-to-day basis.
3.
Truthfully, it is authentic, colorful, and powerful to the extent that it carries the
essence of occupation. At a glance, since they are costumes of a dance depicting
actions of occupations. One could say that the costumes are too simple, colorful, and
detailed; depending on the occupational dance. Yet, if one looks more closely. Its
simplicity is subdued for the purpose of centering the attention to the dance. The
nature of occupations before and how noble they are. Second, it is colorful and
detailed because these are costumes worn by the workers themselves. Its complexity
is somehow influenced by foreign cultures. However, the central message or purpose
of each dance is always explicitly seen in the costumes.
4.
Seagulls just like other birds, fly from one place to another and land in seashores.
However, what differentiates them from other birds are their seemingly peculiar
movements that is similar to dancing. They can be observed dancing and stamping
their feet on grassy areas by raising and lowering each foot in turn. The movement of
their feet on the grass causes vibrations which are similar to that created by rain. In
Samar, these movements gave birth to Lapay Bantigue. Where the first step is “lupad”
where arms fluttered in a graceful fashion as in flapping of wings. Then the
“kumintang” which entails rotating of hands and wrist while turning and twirling. Next
is the “tuka” which is a pecking motion with back bent moving forward and backward.
Other steps required moving sideways, forward and backward, stomping, jumping and
gliding.
5.
Mimicking is simply copying or imitating something. In this case, Lapay Bantigue
Dance was created because of imitating the graceful movement of seagulls. Villagers
of Bantigue imitated their flight, swoops, dives, and glides. Due to these playful
versions of people, it became steps and so named the Lapay Bantigue Dance.
6.
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Seagulls are very clever. They learn, remember and even pass on behaviors, such
as stamping their feet in a group to imitate rainfall and trick earthworms to come to
the surface.
Seagulls’ intelligence is clearly demonstrated by a range of different feeding
behaviors, such as dropping hard-shelled mollusks onto rocks so that they break
open so they can eat them, and following ploughs in fields where they know
upturned grubs and other food sources will be plentiful.
Seagulls are attentive and caring parents. The male and female pair for life and
they take turns incubating the eggs, and feeding and protecting the chicks.
Gulls have a complex and highly developed repertoire for communication which
includes a range of vocalizations and body movements.
Seagulls can drink both fresh and salt water. Most animals are unable to do this,
but seagulls have a special pair of glands right above their eyes which is
specifically designed to flush the salt from their systems through openings in the
bill.
There is a great deal of diversity between different gull species, with the smallest
being the Little Gull (120 g and 29 cm) and the largest being the Great Blackbeaked Gull (1.75 kg and 75 cm).
A small claw halfway up their lower leg enables them to sit and roost on high ledges
without being blown off.
Young gulls form nursery flocks where they will play and learn vital skills for
adulthood. Nursery flocks are watched over by a few adult males and these flocks
will remain together until the birds are old enough to breed.
In Native American symbolism, the seagull represents a carefree attitude,
versatility, and freedom.
Many seagulls have learned to conserve energy by hovering over bridges in order
to absorb raising heat from paved roadways.
Seagulls are fondly remembered in Utah for helping Mormon settlers deal with a
plague of crickets. The seagull is now the state bird of Utah and a monument in
Salt Lake City commemorates the event, known as the ‘Miracle of the Gulls’.
7.
It is a flock of seagulls obviously in the sea. It looks like it is mating season for
them. However, one fact that cannot be forgotten is that because of these seagulls’
movements, Lapay Bantigue Dance is created.