Tinikling

 Tinikling is one of the most famous dances in the Philippines. The movements of this
Filipino folk dance imitate the movements of the tikling bird as it walks around through
tall grass and between tree branches.
 It involves two people beating, tapping, and sliding bamboo poles on the ground and
against each other in coordination with one or more dancers who step over and in
between the poles in a dance.
 Tinikling is composed of three basic steps which include singles, doubles, and hops
 It is considered a national dance in the Philippines and almost every Filipino knows how
to do it.
 Some say that this dance represents most Filipinos’ two main character traits; resilient
and fun-loving.

TINIKLING
This dance is a favorite in the
Visayan Island,
especially in the province of
Leyte. The
"Tilkling" is a bird with long
legs and a long
neck. The 'Tikling" birds as they
walk between
grass stems or run over tree
branches. This
spectacular dance is usually
accompanied by a
song.
When is Tinikling Performed?
It is usually performed on special occasions like:
 Filipino Independence Day, as a celebration of Filipino culture and Filipino pride.
 Traditional Filipino festivals
 School and theater performances.

History of Tinikling

Why is the dance called Tinikling

 The Tinikling is said to be named after the long-legged bird called the tikling in the
Philippines.
 This bird belongs to a number of rail species, but the name typically refers to the slaty-
breasted Rail (Gallirallus striatus), the buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus philippensis), and the
barred rail (Gallirallus torquatus).
 Someone who dances the Tinikling imitates the movements of a tikling bird
(hence, tikling-like) as the bird walks over the grass or dodges bamboo traps set by
Filipino farmers on vast rice fields.

Stories behind the dances’ origin

According to historical accounts,
 The Tinikling dance originated during the Spanish occupation in the Philippines—
particularly on the island of Leyte.
 Rice farmers on the Visayan Islands usually set up bamboo traps to protect their fields,
yet tikling birds dodged their traps. Locals imitated the birds’ movement, and
supposedly, that’s how this dramatic traditional folk dance was born.

According to legend,
 The dance originated during the Spanish colonial era when locals were ordered by the
King of Spain to work on large plantations.
 Those who did not follow his orders or worked too slowly were given a punishment: to
stand in between two bamboo poles.
  These poles were then clapped together in an effort to beat the Filipino natives’ feet. To
escape this punishment, the Filipinos would jump when the two poles were about to be
clapped.
 This practice of jumping between the poles eventually transformed from a challenge into
an artistic dance.

Dancing Tinikling

What to wear?
 Female dancers usually wear a dress called a Balintawak (a colorful dress with arched
sleeves) or a Patadyong (a checkered loose skirt that’s often worn with a thin-fibered
blouse).
 Males wear an embroidered formal shirt that’s untucked called the Barong Tagalog—
which is the country’s national outfit for Filipino men. The Barong is usually paired with
red trousers.
 All dancers perform the Tinikling while barefoot.

Time Signature of Tinikling

3/4 time signature - think about it, the dance is two steps within the bamboo poles and the 3rd
step out, in-in-out, in-in-out, in-in-out, etc

Music
Tinikling is traditionally danced to “Rondalla” music, sort of serenade played by an
ensemble of stringed instruments which originated in Spain during the Middle Ages.

Formation

FORMATION. Dancers stand at the left

side of
the bamboo poles, girls in front, facing
the
audience
Dancers stand at the left side of the bamboo poles, girls in front facing the audience.

Bamboo Rhythms
To dance the Tinikling, you need two pairs of bamboo poles that are each 6–12 feet long (about
1.8–3.7 meters). While only two bamboo poles are involved in this dance, some versions use
four bamboo poles, where the pairs are arranged in a cross-like pattern.

I. Strike bamboo poles together once by sliding them against the board or lifting them
an inch or so open the bamboos about a foot apart and strike them twice against the boards.
This is repeated as many times as necessary in regular rhythm.

II. Strike bamboos once as above, open bamboos a foot apart and strike them
three times against the boards with R, L, R, hands of bamboo player number 1 and with L,R, L
hands of number 2

How to dance Tinikling?

 Tinikling involves five steps; during the first four steps, the dancers dance opposite each
other, and during the last step, they start from the same side of the poles.

 The bamboo is also used as a percussive instrument as it is banged against the ground
(or a piece of wood to make it easier to hold) and each other in a pattern.

 The bamboo has to be closed hard enough to make a sound, and the dancers must be
quick enough to not get their foot (or feet) caught.

 As the dance continues, the banging of the bamboo becomes faster and harder, the
sound of the clashing bamboo and the quickness of feet demonstrated by the dancers
thrilling and awing the crowd.

 To avoid getting their ankles caught in between the poles, dancers must listen closely
and follow the rhythm of the music.

FORMATION. Dancers stand at the

left side of
the bamboo poles, girls in front,
facing the
audience
FORMATION. Dancers stand at the left
side of
the bamboo poles, girls in front, facing
the
audience
FORMATION. Dancers stand at the left
side of
the bamboo poles, girls in front, facing
the
audience
FORMATION. Dancers stand at the left
side of
the bamboo poles, girls in front, facing
the
audience
FORMATION. Dancers stand at the left
side of
the bamboo poles, girls in front, facing
the
audience
Tinikling steps
Tinikling step right

 Hop on L foot outside (at the left side) the bamboos,

 hop on R between the bamboo poles (ct.2), then hop on the L foot on the same spot
(ct.3) and raise R. (that is, when the bamboos are struck together count one, the
hop is done outside and when they are far apart the two hops are done between or
inside on counts two, three).
 Bend R arm upward about head level and "kumintang" the hand counterclockwise,
girls L hand holding the skirt and boy's on waist........................1 M

Tinikling step left-

 Hop on R foot outside (at the right side) the bamboo poles (ct.1),
 Hop on L between the poles (ct. 2) and hop on R on the same spot (ct. 30).
 Reverse hand position...1 M

References:

https://prezi.com/p/g2uuruzlg2ao/history-of-tinikling/?frame=172817730eed186a1e487cfe9111fd774a1264d3

https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/tinikling-the-national-dance-of-the-philippines-with-bamboo-poles/

https://pdfcookie.com/documents/tinikling-steps-0nvoyqgqzo28?fbclid=IwAR2HkMNHXiCmwX-
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https://pdfcookie.com/documents/history-of-tinikling-68v45pd5j72g?
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