Dance in the Philippines
The Prince then finds her and the other dancers begin to dance slowly and progress to faster tempo with fans or their hands moving in a rhythmic manner which signify the winds in the forest.
The traditional attire in these dances include the balintawak and patadyong skirts for the women, and camisa de chino and colored trousers for the men.
Come night time, the dancers dance in a religious procession as an offering to San Isidro de Labrador, patron saint of the farmers.
Philippine dances not only convey the artistry of movement, but are often associated with life-functions such as weddings, the mimicry of birds, or even rituals like the warding of evil spirits.
It clarifies our place in the universe; each gesture and move in the dance are symbolically articulating the role of man and human in the world.
Aside from ritualistic dance as a way to convey their request to the gods or spirits, it also reaffirms social roles in village hierarchies.
The leaders of the dances are the masters of the village's collective memory and knowledge and subsequently, commands the highest respect and status.
[33] As rituals are mostly in the form of dances, it uses gestures, incantations and symbolic implements to invoke spirits, to restore balance or to ask for intercession for harvests, good marriages, safety in journey or counsel.
Rituals then, have 2 intended audiences, the spirits who are summoned to placate their anger or to call for their participation to restore balance and to care and provide for mankind.
And within the dance itself, practitioners are reminded of the significance of the past, and are being prepared to accommodate the uncertainties that the present and future may bring.
The tinikling mimic the rice-preying birds, the itik-itik is reminiscent of its namesake the duck, the courtship dances of the Cordillera are inspired by hawk-like movements.
Their dances accompanies by chants, songs and instruments like the kulintang, gong, gabbang and haglong, as well as a variety of drums show their zest for life.
Some rituals are used as religious expressions to honor the spirits and ask for blessings in each facet of life, such as birth, illness, planting, harvest or even death.
Pre-colonial dances are distinctly meant to appease the Gods and to ask favors from spirits, as a means to celebrate their harvest or hunt.
[41] Filipinos, mainly aristocrats, have also created their own renditions of Hispanic and other European dances such as the jotas, fandangos, mazurkas, and waltzes that were done during this time.
As Hispanic and other European dances had more sharp and fast steps, Filipinos softened these movements when they were recreated.
More international acts came to perform in the Philippines after, while some also trained Filipino dancers, one of which is Madame Luboc “Luva” Adameit who trained some of the first notable ballet dancers who had also become choreographers: Leonor Orosa Goquingo, known for her folk-inspired ballet performances (such as Filipinescas), Remedios “Totoy” de Oteyza, and Rosalia Merino Santos, a child prodigy known for doing the first fouettes in the country.
With the growing popularity of this dance style, Filipino dancers continued to mix in elements of folklore and native themes.
She also has other works such as Reconstruction Ballet, Mutya ng Dagat (Muse of the Sea), Inulan sa Pista (Rained-out Feast), and Aswang (Vampire), which all had Filipino motifs.
Due to this trend, many other writers and dancers continued to connect this Western dance style with native influences, motifs, and even history.
They are famed for their iconic performances of Philippine dances such as the tinikling and singkil that both feature clashing bamboo poles.
