Folk dances Ritual dances

- are performed by a specific community or tribe. They are the
cultural, traditional, or recreational dance styles that have been
developed and handed down through generations.
- Folk dances are associated with the customs, ceremonies, and work
of a particular group of people.
- The majority of these dances are related to religious traditions,
passions, superstitions, festivals, birth ceremonies, courtship,
marriage, death, war, and others.
Francisca Reyes Aquino 
- also known as the "Mother of the Philippine Folk Dance”
- Is acknowledged as the Folk Dance Pioneer.
- This Bulakeña began her research on folk dances in the 1920s
making trips to remote barrios in Central and Northern Luzon.
- Her research on the unrecorded forms of local celebration, ritual,
and sport resulted into a 1926 thesis titled “Philippine Folk Dances
and Games,” and arranged specifically for use by teachers and
playground instructors in public and private schools.
Differences of Folk, National, and Ethnic Dances
Philippine folk dance: (Lopez, 2006)
- Is conventional
- Is expressive
- Is simple, fundamental rhythm defining a movement pattern
- Has a choreography created through communal efforts
- Shows essential roles in the life of folk people.
- Are part of the ritual ceremonies
- like the Dugso from Bukidnon.
Life-cycle dances
- Are related to the day-to-day life, such as their wedding, courtship,
birthing, or funeral.
- Example: Binasuan (Pangasinan)
Occupational dances
- show the daily work and lifestyle in the community
- like the Maglalatik dance.
It must be clear that every national and ethnic dance will fall under folk
dances, but not all folk dances are called national and ethnic dances.
The Philippines have plenty and diverse folk dances coming from different
parts of the country. They represent the tribe of origin through the
costumes, props, and instruments used.
Because of acculturation, traditional Philippine dances may have been
significantly affected by the cultures from other countries. The Western
culture did this through the conquest of the Spaniards and Americans.
Our neighboring Asian countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and China have
influenced our dances as well.
Types of Folk Dance
These are the three main regional classifications of Philippine folk dances:

Ethnic or ethnological dances  Tribal dances Lowland Christian dances Muslim dances
From the Cordilleras like the ones for the in the
- Imitate nature and life and have maintained close links to
include the non- Tagalogs, Ilokanos, Southern Philippines are
religious rituals and customs of communities. Christian dances. Pampangueños, influenced by the Arab
- These dances may require a specific level of special performing skills Pangasinense, Bisayans, and Indo-Malayan
(Kraus 1962) because of their symbolic meaning and also making it and Bicolonas have cultures.
difficult to comprehend outside the community. Hispanic and European
- There are three distinct categories of ethnic dances. influences
Philippine folk dances, apart from their classifications, may also be
categorized as life-cycle, festival, occupational, ritual and ceremonial, joke
and trickster, mimetic or drama, war, and social amenities dance.
MODERN DANCE
Modern dance enables dancers to express themselves freely. It can be
considered as a diversion from the confining nature of classical ballet which
follows strict rules in dancing. (Horwitz, in Reynolds, 1979).
Contemporary dancers interpret instead of following precise steps, using
more of the torso rather than a vertical plane and new varieties of
movements. The feet are always pointing or flexed, not always turned out.
There are differences between the training sessions of contemporary and
ballet dancing. The floor is used as part of modern dance moves, while the
floor in the ballet was to stand or sit. It also covers many dancing fields,
including technique, improvisation, and choreographic areas (Minton,
1984).
CHARACTERISTICS OF A MODERN DANCE
TECHNIQUE
- Contemporary dancers use a technical approach. This dance uses
controlled body movements and shows basic dance skills.
- The main aim of each technique in contemporary dancing is "to
advance the human body that is capable of expressing any aspect of
human behavior" (Horwitz in Reynolds, 1979).
IMPROVISATION
- Using different images, thoughts, emotions, or other stimulating
events may lead to natural and free movements of the dancer
based on the choreographer's recommendations.
CHOREOGRAPHY
- Contemporary dance form reflects much of its creators' personal
and emotional perceptions.
- Dance choreography's purpose and style are not confined to specific
areas or subject matters, allowing choreographers to select themes
and styles by themselves and according to their requirements.
(Minton, 1984)
THE BASIC MODERN DANCE SKILLS
Dance walk – The alternate transfer of weight from one foot to the other
during the dance.
Run – A faster shifting of weight between feet.ons, lectures, reports, and
more. It is mostly presented before an audience.
Triplet (plié, relevé, relevé) – It is a simple modern dance experience with a
total weight shift, done in an even 3⁄4 meter with each step.
Waltz – The rhythm for waltz has an even count of 1 2 3/ 1 2 3/.  Begin as in
the walk, turned out the fifth position.
Gallop – The combination of a step and a leap with one foot keeping the
lead.
Chassé or Slide – It is a more graceful version of galloping.
Jumps - This skill has three types: Basic (Sauté), Échappé, and Sissone.
Leap – The body is suspended in the air with two feet off the ground in the
distance between the starting and landing area.
Falling - It is the process of yielding to gravity done in any direction.
Rolls - There are three kinds of rolls: log, forward, and backward.
Turns - Requires the establishment of an axis within the body by the
touchpoint between the body and the surface.