FOLK DANCES TO BE PERFORMED BY BCAED 2-E

Aliptaptap
Alitaptap is a Philippine Folk dance that originated from the province of Batangas, and is
native to the Tagalogs. The term alitaptap refers to an insect (firefly)which flies only at night
and looks like it carries a lamp. This dance mimics themovement of a firefly, in a ¾ time
signature music, composed of A and B. It iscommonly taught to children. The girls wear
Baro’t Saya or Filipiniana while the boyswear Barong Tagalog paired with white pants

Jota Camarines
This is a delightful, lively dance from Camarines Norte. Its air and figures are very much like
the Jotas of Spain. The Jota dances have many variations and are as popular as the
Fandangos. On this dance, the male wears barong tagalog and black pants while the female
wears Maria Clara dress with zapatilla as footwear. During the Spanish regime, the JOTA
dances were among the most popular dances in the Philippines. It is a gay and lively dance,
undoubtedly all the JOTA dances of the Philippines are adaptations from Spanish Jotas as
performed by the early Spanish settlers in the Philippines.

La Jota Manileña
The Philippine Jota, adapted from the original Spanish folk dance, evolved into a formal
ballroom dance. This Jota named for the capital city Manila, complete with bamboo
castanets, celebrates the Filipinos’ successful revolt for independence from Spain. The
costume and the graceful movements of the performers noticeably inspired by Spanish
Culture.

Salidumay
Indigenous peoples of Kalinga and other Cordilleran descent in the Philippines sing and dance
to a folksong called “salidummay,” which has no direct translation into English but which
speaks to the idea, “this is life.” The samples used in this track are from recordings of mountain
workers singing and dancing on the way home. The salidumay song plays an important role in
the lives of young natives in the Cordillera Mountains who fall in love. As part of the
tradition, young women express acceptance or rejection of a man’s courting with this song.
They sing it with melodies that convey their real feelings towards the men wooing them.
 Singkil
Singkil is a very unique Philippine traditional dance of the Maranao people in Southern
Philippines. It is said to be inspired by the age-old Hindu epic “Ramayana” and another
mythological epic from South East Asia called “Darangen“. This “folk” dance is said to have
originated from the Lake Lanao region in the island of Mindanao in Southern Philippines.
According to the cultural history of the Philippines, this form of dancing is said to have been
developed and created by people living in the Lake Lanao area. Apparently, this dance form
was created from a story written in the “Darangen”, an epic belonging to Maranao
community which draws inspiration from the Hindu epic Ramayana. Furthermore, this dance
was originally performed mostly by women belonging to the royal family. In addition, it was
a dance company called “Bayanihan” that popularised this dance form around the western
world by adapting it in accordance to the taste of the westerners.

Kadayawan Festival
The festival’s name is derived from the Mandaya word “madayaw,” meaning treasured or
valuable, as the locals use this time to give thanks for the season’s bountiful harvest. Back in
the day, the ethnic tribes of Davao would come together to celebrate abundant crops,
performing rituals that paid tribute to the nature gods. They used to display fruits, vegetables,
flowers, rice, and corn grains on their mats and at the front of their houses as a sign of respect
for the great year they’ve had. They used to sing and dance as well, much like what they do
today.

In the 1970s, then Mayor Elias B. Lopez, encouraged the different Davao tribes to showcase
their thanksgiving rituals. In 1986, the Davao City government launched a project that aimed
to unite the people during the turbulent times of the Martial Law. Back then, the name of the
festival was called Apo Duwaling, after three natural wonders you can find the region: Mt.
Apo, Durian, and Waling-waling. It was first officially renamed as the Kadayawan Festival in
1988 by then Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, and now, over 30 years later, it’s still being celebrated.