TRADITIONAL DANCE (FOLK AND ETHNIC)
HISTORY
The history of Philippine folk dancing incorporates influences from immigrants
and conquerors while at the same time maintaining distinctly Filipino roots. Philippine
folk dancing is a true reflection of daily life in past centuries while enchanting modern
audiences at the same time (Crawford, 2019).
 Pre-Colonial
-before the Spanish conquistadors conquered and Christianized the populace, the
people danced. They danced to appease the gods, to curry favor from powerful spirits, to
celebrate a hunt or harvest, to mimic the exotic life forms around them (Crawford, 2019).
 Spanish Colonization
-Folk dances survived the European invasion, and the dancers adapted imposed
Christian belief and culture to their own dances, borrowing court choreography but
imbuing it with Philippine spirit (Crawford, 2019).
-The dancers wear European 16th-century dress but move to the sounds of
bamboo castanets (Crawford, 2019).
-Filipino folk dances are diverse and varied with a long cultural history. Their
history includes the coming of Roman Catholicism through the Spanish, and many of the
early folk dances were influenced by these Spaniards (Raven, 2019).
TRADITIONAL DANCE
-can be another term for ceremonial dance. The term ‘Traditional’ is more
frequently used when the emphasis is on the cultural roots of the dance. A Traditional
dance will therefore have arisen from a people’s cultural traditions (Ethnic Groups
Philippines, 2016).
 Value
- helps keep the people connected to their ancestry and their traditions.
-helps to preserve the cultural unity of the people.
 Importance
- they help keep a culture alive. People have been doing folk dances for hundreds
of years, and there is value keeping that tradition alive.
-they preserve the Philippine culture and pass it on to the next generation. They
are
a uniting force to the Philippine people.
 Dance step
- Are created from man’s basic movement: walk, run, jump, hop, skip, slide,
leap, turn, and sway. Folk and ethnic dances are combinations of those basic
movements have been used to: social or ballroom dances, ballet, and modern
expressive dance.
FOLK DANCE
-According to Marbella (2014), folk dancing is a form of social dancing that has
become part of the customs and traditions of people. Most folk dances developed among
people in villages and were passed on from generation to generation in a particular
region. In many of these dances, group of dancers from such basic pattern as a circle, line
or curved, moving the line called a chain.
According to Roper (2019) the following are examples of folk dance:
 The Itik-Itik
-the steps mimic the way a duck walks, as well as the way it splashes water on its
back to attract a mate. According to popular tradition, the dance was created by a lady
named Kanang who choreographed the steps while dancing at a baptismal party. The
other guests copied her movements, and everyone liked the dance so much that it has
been passed along ever since.
 The Tinikling
-is considered by many to be the Philippines' national dance. The dance's
movements imitate the movement of the tikling bird as it walks around through tall grass
and between tree branches. People perform the dance using bamboo poles. The dance is
composed of three basic steps which include singles, doubles and hops. It looks similar to
playing jump rope, except that the dancers perform the steps around and between the
bamboo poles, and the dance becomes faster until someone makes a mistake and the next
set of dancers takes a turn.
 The Sayaw sa Bangko
- is performed on top of a narrow bench. Dancers need good balance as they go
through a series of movements that include some impressive acrobatics. This dance traces
its root back to the areas of Lingayen and Pangasinan.
 The Binasuan
- is an entertaining dance that is usually performed at festive social occasions like
weddings and birthdays. Dancers carefully balance three half-filled glasses of rice wine
on their heads and hands as they gracefully spin and roll on the ground. The dance
originated in Bayambang in the Pangasinan province, and though it's usually performed
alone, it can also become a competition between several dancers.
 The Pandanggo sa Ilaw
-is similar to a Spanish Fandango, but the Pandanggo is performed while
balancing three oil lamps - one on the head, and one in each hand. It's a lively dance that
originated on Lubang Island. The music is in 3/4 time and is usually accompanied by
castanets.
 The Maglalatik
-is a mock war dance that depicts a fight over coconut meat, a highly-prized food.
The dance is broken into four parts: two devoted to the battle and two devoted to
reconciling. The men of the dance wear coconut shells as part of their costumes, and they
slap them in rhythm with the music. The Maglalatik is danced in the religious procession
during the fiesta of Biñan as an offering to San Isidro de Labrador, the patron saint of
farmers.
 The Kuratsa
- is described as a dance of courtship and is often performed at weddings and
other social occasions. The dance has three parts. The couple first performs a waltz. In
the second part, the music sets a faster pace as the man pursues the woman around the
dance floor in a chase. To finish, the music becomes even faster as the man wins over the
woman with his mating dance.
 The Cariñosa
-is a dance made for flirting! Dancers make a number of flirtatious movements as
they hide behind fans or handkerchiefs and peek out at one another. The essence of the
dance is the courtship between two sweethearts.
ETHNIC DANCE
- is a dance formed originating from an ethnic culture that expresses the aesthetics
of a particular culture (Shistine, 2018).
- Ethnic dance is a term used to denote the general body of all dances of ethnic
minorities in any given nation. Such dances would include classical and contemporary
(Satapathy, 2019).
Some examles of ethnic dance:
 Binanog
-A Typical Dance of the Talaandig tribe mimicking the movement of the
bird up in the air called "Bano”

Inagong
-A dance for entertainment performed during festivals and gatherings.

Saut
-A dance of male Talaanding tribe presenting their expertise in style and
arts in fighting their opponents or enemies with their ritual dances for offering to
their magbabaya (GOD).
 Tinambol
-A dance performed by male and female Talaandig for entertainment and
sometimes in their ritual dances for offering to their Magbabaya.

Talupak
-A dance depicting the way and style in planting, harvesting and
winnowing palays. This is performing for public entertainment.

Dugso
-Ritual dance performed by women during religious celebration, kaligaon.

Binaylan
-The dance of the Baylan or Priest during a hinaklaran ritual.

Pinagkabula
-A dance perfomance solo.
 Pinegket
-A dance imitating one who is suffering from legs cramp.
 Binalanak
-Social dance.
 Pi-agawan
-A courtship dance performed by two men and a woman, with one man
winning the maiden love.
 Pagadugsa
-A dance mimicking the hunters adventure.