1. What is a festival dance?

A festival dance is often described as a cultural dance that is being performed by

dancers/performers to lively and strong beats of different instruments (mostly percussion
instruments, including the different types of drums). Festival dance is usually categorized
into two. The first is secular while the other is religious.

2. What are the 2 purposes/reasons for its celebration?

Festival dances are usually performed during festivals, fiestas, or community

occasions. It can be performed in festivals intended to celebrate an important event that
has a great significance among the people but oftentimes, these dances are performed in
festivals or fiestas that are intended to celebrate the feast of a patron saint.

Another reason for the celebrations wherein festival dances being performed is to
gather people together. Festivals and fiestas happen for a certain period of time only –
usually for a day only. Through these celebrations, people from the same place (and even
visitors/tourists) can socialize, interact, and enjoy with each other’s company. In a way, it
also helps in preserving one’s culture, traditions, and values.

3. What are the 2 benefits of engaging in festival dance activities?

Engaging in festival dance activities can help us in having a deeper appreciation of our
culture. It can also be a great way of becoming more knowledgeable about the history,
culture, and background of a certain place by participating in festival dances. This is
because festival dances serve as a “mirror” of what life was in the past through their lively
and vivacious representations of the place’s culture and history which are usually evident
through their choreography, props, costumes, storylines, and concepts.

4. Express your learning in 4 sentences on how dance can be as means of preservation

of cultural heritage.

Dance is a very powerful form of art that can be a great way to preserve one’s cultural
heritage and one reason for this is that a specific type of dance and/or choreography can
show how people lived before, the meaning behind the dance, and can even tell stories or
folklores – by performing dances like this in celebrations, the cultural heritage is being
preserved. Second, regularly performing traditional/festival dances that have been passed
on to us from our ancestors is another great example of how dance is very helpful in
preserving our culture. Third, aside from stories, dance can also effectively present and
express the different values and traditions that are already part of our culture and thus,
preserving them. Lastly, as I’ve mentioned before, dance (specifically festival dances) lets
us take a peek into the history and background of a certain place through the choreography,
costumes, etc. – this allows us to be more educated about it, and eventually, we are able to
preserve and appreciate our culture.