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BARRIO FIESTA SUITE
This colorful and lively dance from Bayambang in the
Pangasinan province shows off the balancing skills of the dancers.
The glasses that the dancers gracefully, yet carefully, maneuver are
half-filled with rice wine. Binasuan, meaning "with the use of a
drinking glass" in Pangasinan, is often performed as entertainment
at weddings, birthdays, and fiestas.
At one baptismal party in the Surigao del Norte
province, a young lady named Kanang (the nickname for Cayetana),
considered the best dancer and singer of her time, was asked to
dance the Sibay. She became so enthusiastic and spirited during the
performance that she began to improvise movements and steps similar
to the movements of itik, the duck, as it walks with short, choppy
steps and splashes water on its back while calling to its mate. The
people liked the dance so much that they all imitated her. There are
six separate foot sequences in the series of Itik-Itik steps.
The dance from Cabugao, Ilocos Sur province,
symbolizes peace and is represented by imitating the movements of a
graceful dove. It portrays the typical traits of the Ilokanos:
simplicity, naturalness, and shyness.
This mock-war dance, originating from the Spanish
Regime, depicts a fight between the Moros and the Christians over
the prized latik, or coconut meat residue. This dance, originally
performed in Biñan, Laguna, is also performed as a tribute to the
patron saint of farmers, San Isidro de Labrador. Maglalatik is a
four-part performance: the palipasan and the baligtaran showing the
intense combat, and the paseo and the escaramusa, the
reconciliation. The Moros of this dance usually wear red trousers,
while the Christians don blue trousers. All of the men use harnesses
of coconut shells positioned on their backs, chests, hips, and
thighs.
This popular dance of grace and balance comes from
Lubang Island, Mindoro in the Visayas region. The term pandanggo
comes from the Spanish word fandango, which is a dance characterized
by lively steps and clapping that varies in rhythm in 3/4 time. This
particular pandanggo involves the presence of three tinggoy, or oil
lamps, balanced on the head and the back of each hand.
A dance interpreting the toil in the life of the
fisherman in the river called Pasig. The dance manifests the native
means of catching fish.
A dance depicting the love of nature as seafarers
and hardworking Christians adore the blessings and the beauty that
surround them. Dancers carry wooden paddles called "sagwan" as they
navigate their way through the waters.
A dance of the Ilokano Christians and non-Christians
from the province of Abra, Sakuting was originally performed by boys
only. It portrays a mock fight using sticks to train for combat. The
stacatto-inflected music suggests a strong Chinese influence. The
dance is customarily performed during Christmas at the town plaza,
or from the house-to-house. The spectators give the dancers
aguinaldos, or gifts of money or refreshments especially prepared
for Christmas.
This dance is native to the barrio of Pangapisan,
Lingayen, Pangasinan, and demands skill from its performers who must
dance on top of a bench roughly six inches wide.
From the province of Batangas comes this ancient
dance, originally performed in veneration of the holy cross of
Alitagtag, referred to in the vernacular as Mahal na Poong Santa
Cruz. The word subli is derived from two Tagalog words, subsub
(stooped) and bali (broken). Hence, the men are stooped throughout
the dance and appear to be lame and crooked, while the women dance
with hats.
Tikos refers to a group of peasants in Leyte who
agree to work for each other to clear the forest, prepare the soil
for planting, or do any odd job on the farm. During their rest
period, Tiklos music is played witha flute accompanied witha guitar
and the guimbal and tambora (kinds of drums) while the peasants
dance.
Honored as the Philippine national dance, Tinikling
is a favorite in the Visayan islands, especially on the island of
Leyte. The dance imitates the movement of the tikling birds as they
walk between grass stems, run over tree branches, or dodge bamboo
traps set by rice farmers. Dancers imitate the tikling bird's
legendary grace and speed by skillfully maneuvering between large
bamboo poles.
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