"Mother of Philippine

Dancing,“
-The first Philippine artist in dance
•Lolomboy, Bocaue, in the
Philippine Province of
Bulacan
•eldest of three children of
Filipe Reyes and Juliana
Santos Reyes
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
• obtained her High School Teacher's
Certificate in 1923
• Bachelor of Science in Education
degree in 1924 from the University
of the Philippines
• 2 years of study at Boston University
and Received a Certificate in
Physical Education
The life of my ninang:
- As early as 1921 to 1923, Francisca began her search for
folk dances. She traveled to (remote barrios (rural
communities) in Central and Northern Luzon.
- She quickly saw that, with further impact of Western culture,
many dances would be lost or extensively modified
- She continued gathering folk dances, songs, and games
for her master's thesis at the University of the Philippines
in 1926.
- She was asked to chair a committee at the university
that would go to the most remote areas of the
Philippines to gather material directly from the old
people who used to dance them in their younger days.
- hundreds of dances were collected and
transcribed with close attention to their
authenticity and local color, then presented to the
Manila public at various dance recitals
- The university offered dance classes in the
physical education department and a folk
dance troupe was formed that toured the
provinces to acquaint the people with the
various folk dances of the country.
- In 1934, Francisca married Professor Ramon P. Tolentino,
Jr., the Assistant Director of the Department of Physical
Education who shared her dream of promoting
Philippine folk dances in the
physical education curriculum of
Philippine schools.
- her husband and a university colleague,
Antonio Buenaventura, studied
native dances in Mindanao, Leyte,
and Mountain Province and
record songs with the aid of a
Victor recording machine.
- The expedition gathered material on 38 folk dances and 33 songs and
airs
-In Leyte, they found the Tinikling, danced between rapidly
clapped, bamboo poles and named after a long-legged bird,
the tikling, seen in rice paddies.
- Tinikling has since become
a national favorite of both children
and adults.
In 1935, they made complete
notes on 33 folk songs and dances
in Mountain Province,
8 in Ilocos Norte, 14 in Ilocos Sur,
and 4 in Abra.
1939 - the death of her husband
1947 - she married Serafin Aquino, secretary-treasurer of the
Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation, an enthusiastic
collaborator in presentation of his wife's work.
That same year, Frances Reyes Aquino became the
superintendant of Physical Education, Bureau of Public
Schools, Philippine Republic. She was awarded a Doctor of
Sciences degree in Physical Education, Honoris Causa
(especially of a degree awarded without examination) as a
mark of esteem, from Boston University and, in 1959, a
Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa, from Far Eastern
University in Manila, Philippines. She is the author of seven
books and numerous articles.
In 1949, Dr. Reyes Aquino founded the Philippine Folk Dance Society
Dr. Reyes Aquino received the "Philippine Republic Award of Merit"
for her untiring efforts in collecting, compiling, and propagating folk
dances, and for her outstanding contribution to the advancement
of Filipino culture in the field of dance.
- Cultural Award, UNESCO of the Philippines; the Rizal Pro-Patria
Award; certificate of merit Bulacan Teachers Association; the
Ramón Magsaysay Award, and an award for outstanding alumna,
College of Education, University of the Philippines.
- In 1961, Dr. Reyes Aquino was invited by the International
Recreation Association on the Cultural Exchange Program to
lecture, teach, and demonstrate Philippine folk dances in the
United States. That same year, she was given the Rizal Pro-Patria
Award, conferred on individuals (Filipino or foreigner), societies,
institutions, and other organizations
. In 1973, President Marcos gave Dr. Reyes Aquino the National
Artist for Dance Award for her contribution to the preservation
and propagation of the folk dances of the Philippines.
For many years, Dr. Reyes Aquino was consultant to the world
famous Bayanihan Folk Dance Troupe, which continues to
perform in the major capitols of the world. The University of the
Philippines Dance Troupe,founded in 1988 by Dr. Reyes
Aquino.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines has named one of their
lower basement rehearsal halls "Bulwagang Francisca Reyes
Aquino in her honor." The hall is for theater, dance, music arts,
and occasionally for lecture-demonstrations, artists'
interactions, master classses, and workshops.
Among Dr. Reyes Aquino's publications are
-Fundamental Dance Steps and Music,
Manila, 1957.
-Philippine Folk Dances, Manila, Vol. I, 1953.
-Philippine National Dances, New York, 1946.
- Philippine Folk Dance and Games, with
Petron Ramos, New York, 1927.
1984 – her death
A Memorial Fund was
established in her name
and "Lola Kikay," a musical
based on her life, has been
staged
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQkV996Gns8
PHILIPPINE DANCE TINIKLING LEYTE DANCE THEATRE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjU1QDKetiQ
TIKLOS : Philippine Folk Dance