Laurence Jake Rodriguez

Maglalatik Folk Dance

 It was composed by the late Dr. Francisco Santiago

especially for this dance. The original music for this
dance was rhythmic sounds roduced by two bamboo
sticks against each other with guitar
accompaniment.
 The Maglalatik is an indigenous dance from the
Philippines in which coconut shell halves that are
secured onto the dancers' hands and on vests upon
which are hung four or six more coconut shell
halves. The dancers - all male - perform the dance by
hitting one coconut shell with the other - sometimes
the ones on the hands, sometimes, the ones on the
body, and sometimes the shells worn by another
performer, all in time to a fast drumbeat. Like many
native Filipino dances, it is intended to impress the
viewer with the great skill of the dancer, and in some
Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) circles, it has been noted
that the manlalatik "consists of a trapping and
boxing method hidden in a dance. The dancers are
male; with harnesses of coconut shells attached on
their chests, backs, thighs and hips.

 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. .
Maglalatik is anoriginal native dance of the
Philippines in which the coconut halves are attached
to the torso of the dancer.
 Originally performed in Binan, Laguna as a mock-war
dance that demonstrates a fight between the Moros
and the Christians over the prized latik or coconut
meat during the Spanish rule, this dance is also
shown to pay tribute to the town’s patron saint, San
Isidro Labrador. It has a four-part performance such
as the palipasan and the baligtaran showing the
intense battle, the paseo and the escaramusa- the
reconciliation. Moro dancers wear read trousers
while the Christian dancers show up in blue. The
name of the dance comes from the Filipino word
"Latik", which means "fried coconut milk curd", a
coconut product that it used in Filipino in cooking.

 About Maglalatik Style: Originally its performed in

Binan, Laguna as a mock war dance that
demonstrates a fight between the Moros and the
Christians over the prized latik or coconut meat
during the Spanish rule, this dance is also shown to
pay tribute to the town patron saint, San Isidro
Labrador.