FOLK DANCE

Folk dance in the Philippines are the visualization of the grace and beauty of the country lasses going
through the intricacies of a courtship dance with their barrio swains.

Folk dancing is an effective tool for entertainment as well as a vehicle for the preservation of the
Filipino culture.

There are folk dances in several regions in the Philippines which depict beautiful customs and
traditions of the people.

Among these are:

1. ALAY- a dance in the tagalog region performed as an offering to a special guest or honoree as
welcome gestures.

2. ESCOTIS- a Visayan folk dance performed in any social gatherings of the people inhabiting the
mountains of Capiz and the other towns.

3. KINOTON- a folk dance from the Ilocos Region. This comic dance depicts the movement of a
person bitten by ants.

4. KUMAKARET- a courtship dance in Pangasinan.

5. LAGUNDI- another Visayan dance which originated in Iloilo.

6. PALAKIS- a courtship [ dance from Western Bontoc performed at wedding celebrations and
during festivals like Cañao and Begnas.

7. PANGALAY- a popular festival dance in Sulu and performed in wedding celebrations and big social
affairs.

8. NATIONAL RICE FESTIVAL- depicts the different steps in rice growing as practiced in the different
regions in the Philippines.

9. SINGKIL- This dance originated from Lanao del sur.

1. SAKUTING- History of the Sakuting Philippine Folk Dance

The sakuting dance, originally performed solely by boys, portrays a mock fight using
sticks. A sakuting stick is striped or bamboo and is about 1½ feet long and tapered at the
end, like a candle. Its original use was for combat training. During the playful folk dance,
two teams, one representing each side, circle and clash bamboo sticks in a gentle
imitation of martial arts sparring. Its dance form is the comedia (a theatrical dance, also
called moro-moro) and features a battalla (choreographed skirmish).
Sakuting is a Philippine folk dance that interprets a fight between Ilocano Christians and
non-Christians. This mock fight between rival folks is traditionally performed during
Christmas at the town plaza or performed house-to-house as a form of traditional carolling
show. Dancers perform the Sakuting to receive presents or the local money called
Aguinaldo.

Philippines Folk Dances as Fight Dances

Most Filipino dances tell a story. In the Sakuting, it is a story of Ilocano Christians and
nonChristians
fighting during the Spanish colonial rule in the country. (Ilocanos are the people
living in the Ilocos region in Northern Philippines.) This regional ethnic dance celebrates
cultural heritage and national artistic pride by portraying Philippine fighting art as a ritual
dance.

Regional History
Sakuting came from the Abra province in the northern part of the island of Luzon. The
Ilocos Region officially includes Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan. Abra,
Mountain Province and Benguet were also parts of the region before separating as the
Cordillera Administrative Region. All these provinces are home to the Ilocanos who are
natives of the lowlands and the Tingguian tribes who are natives of the mountain areas.

Origin
During the Spanish colonisation (1520 to 1898), the garrison established to protect the
Ilocanos who converted to Christianity became a site for raids by the mountain tribes. And
the Sakuting dance interprets this struggle between the lowland natives who became
Christians and the non-Christian natives from the mountain region. Sakuting incorporates
the traditional Filipino martial arts called Arnis by using two sticks as extension of the arms
to fight the opponent. Before the Spanish era in the Philippines, Filipinos commonly used
Arnis for self-protection. The Spanish banned its practice, forcing Filipinos to utilise it in
other forms. They openly retained the practice by using Arnis movements as part of folk
dances like the Sakuting. While showing the story between the Christians and nonChristian
natives, the stylised fight sequence revived the use of Arnis as this dance is
actually, a two-stick Arnis exercise set to an upbeat music.

Music
Music used for the Sakuting has Chinese and Spanish backgrounds. The traditional music
styles have staccato inflections and rhythmic tapping. The musical instrument used for the
dance is called the rondalla, a native string instrument similar to a guitar. There are usually
moments of a capella where no musical instruments are utilised and only the tapping of
wooden sticks are heard as accompaniment to the singing. The wooden stick sounds
coincide with the choreography of the mock fights in the Sakuting performance. With
upbeat and happy music, the audience cheers as performers tap their sticks and jump
around in groups and in circles.

Performers
Sakuting was originally performed by boys only, but it has evolved as a folk dance which
both boys and girls now perform. This dance uses two striped bamboo sticks about one
and a half foot long and tapered at the end, like a candle. Wearing traditional Ilocano
costumes, performers of the Sakuting participate in a playful folk dance where the two rival
teams circle and clash the sticks in gentle imitation of martial arts sparring. They tap the
floor and each other’s sticks while using combat dance steps in a theatrical fashion called
the comedia. The dances combine marching and small forward or sideways shuffle steps.
2. ALAY
Alay is performed as an offering to special guests or honorees as a welcome gesture or
as a token of gratitude.

3. Bilaan
One of the well-known ritual dances is the Blit B'laan. a courtship dance of the imitating
the movements of the male and female birds during mating season. Among the Bilaan in
Southern Mindanao, a handwoven mat spread on the ground or the floor marks a
sacred space. Blit-Blaan is a courtship dance of the Blaan, imitating birds during mating
season. The females scurry away, burying their heads under their wings, and the males
enjoy the chase. The Blaan women wear elaborate blouses, necklaces, anklets, tiny bells,
aromatic roots, and flowers. The men wear equally ornate jackets over tight-fitting
trousers.

4. Pagdiwata
Pagdiwata (diwata, "deity") is a dance originating from the Tagbanua tribe of Palawan
which depicts rituals after a rice harvest. ... The Tagbanua of Palawan are kaingin
planters who disperse to their fields in the planting season. After harvest, they regroup
to their village to celebrate the pagdiwata ritual.

5. Sua Sua

This is dance from Jolo, Sulu. Literally "Sua-sua"

means small orange plant and is the name of a courtship
dance and its accompanying song.

According to the Moros of the older generation, the

movements in this dance have been modified and modernized.
There is no doubt, however, that some parts are based on
typically, old Moro dances.

Dancers sing as they perform the dance. The natives

often repeat the dance as many times as they like or until
they are made to stop. The song goes this way.

The Sua-Sua, or pomelo tree dance, is one of the most popular

Philippine dances of the island of Jolo, Sulu. It is also a Moro

 Folksong. Moros are Filipino Muslims who live on the southern islands of Mindanao and
the Sulu Archipelago. They were

traditionally brave warriors. Their music and the graceful fan

dance is the essence of this performance.

6. Balangbang

Balangbang from Pangasinan portrays a dance after a series of planting and harvesting
activities for relaxation and fun. Balangbang is the modernized word for the Pattong. It
was originally a war dance, with much of the movements improvised. Usualy the dance
was performed during canao, a feast to celebrate either victory in war, a bountiful
harvest, or a wedding.

7. Itik-itik-A dance inspired by ‘movements of a duck’

tik-itik is a mimetic folk dance in the Philippines. It originated in Cantilan, Surigao del Sur.
Itik-itik was discovered in this town by National Artist for Dance Francisca Reyes-Aquino.
Itik-Itik is a Philippines folk dance form created by imitating the “movements of a duck”
such as wading, flying, and short steps and splashing water on their backs like the ducks
do.

8. Kumintang

This is the name given to several unique styles and forms in music and dance. According to
historians, these forms of music and dance had probably originated from Batangas.
Travelers during the early 19th century described it as a “Tagalog “national chant”, and
written about how they were dance-songs performed by a pair of men and women. Often
times, these dances would denote love and courtship.

Meanwhile, in the early 20th century, Francisca Reyes-Aquino described the Kumintang as
the circular hand and wrist movement popularly known as “kunday”. It also refers to a
guitar-plucking style which was dubbed as the most melodic and beautiful sounding guitar
styles amongst the old kinanluran style of pandangguhan dances.

9. Nasudi
'Ilocana A Nasudi' is a favorite festival dance of Dingras, Ilocos Norte. It is a dance depicting
a chaste and virtuous Ilocana and may be performed by four pairs.
10. Salakot

The salakot is a wide brimmed hat which protects the Filipinos from the heat of the sun
and rain. In this dance, the salakot is used to enhance the dance figure and hand
movement. This (salakot dance) can be dance by boys and girls, or just girls.
Salakót is a traditional lightweight headgear from the Philippines used for protection
against the sun and rain. They are usually dome-shaped or cone-shaped and can range in
size from having very wide brims to being almost helmet-like. They are made from various
materials including bamboo, rattan, nito ferns, and bottle gourd. The tip of the crown
commonly has a spiked or knobbed finial made of metal or wood. It is held in place by an
inner headband and a chinstrap. Salakot is also spelled as salacot in Spanish and salacco in
French. It is the direct precursor to the pith helmet (also called salacot in Spanish and
French) widely used by European military forces in the colonial era.

11. Maglalatik

The Maglalatik (also known as Manlalatik or Magbabao) is an indigenous dance from the
Philippines. ... The dancers perform the dance by hitting one coconut shell with the other;
sometimes the ones on the hands, the ones on the body, or the shells worn by another
performer, all in time to a fast drumbeat. It originated in the town of Binan in the Laguna
province of the Filipino Islands and is also performed as homage to the town saint, San
Isidro de Labrador. How is it performed? Maglalatik is an original native dance of the
Philippines in which the coconut halves are attached to the torso of the dancer.

12. Jotabal

Jotabal is a lively festival dance in Camohaguin, Gumaca, Quezon. It is derived from the
words Jota and valse (means waltz, a step or a dance in three-four time). The male wears
barong tagalog and black trousers and female wears Maria Clara dress.