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Kuratsa Folk Dance
Kuratsa Folk Dance
(Presentation)
Caparaz, Angelo
Sawit, Mary Joy
Geneblaza, Joshua
PE-2
ME-1A
Kuratsa Folk Dance
What is the Kuratsa folk dance?
● Kuratsa is a dance of flirtation and courtship, designed to be danced with a partner
● Brief History The Kuratsa is believed to be a Mexican import.
the Kuratsa is however, very different in the manner of execution
than the Mexican counterpart. Even the "basic" Kuratsa music
is not based on Mexican or even Spanish melodies.
● Philippine dance researchers, however, point either to the "Kigal '' and the "Bikal" as the 'ascendant' of the
Kuratsa. Kigal meaning “hawk” and bikal meaning “joust of dance”.
● Popular versions of this dance exists can be classified as the Kuratsa Menor , Kuratsa Mayor, Kuratsa
kanan Kadam-an and a very funny Kuratsa nga Pinayungan appropriate for rainy days.
Kuratsa Folk Dance
● There are dozens of Filipino folk dance that imitate the behavior of animals. Kuratsa folk dance
is one of them. Its movements mimic the mating ritual of a rooster and hen.
Questions to be tackled:
Philippine dance researchers, however, point either to the "Kigal '' and the "Bikal" as the
'ascendant' of the Kuratsa. The Kigal (spelled "Quigal" in early Spanish writings on Samar
culture and lifeways) is a sort of battle-of-sexes couple dance that imitates mating birds. The
Kigal is in fact called by another name: Binanug or Kiglun (Kigalun?) that's according to a 17th
century Samarnon dictionary by a Jesuit missionary to Samar, Fr. Alcazar. It is interesting that
Banug is the Waray word for the hawk.
The Bikal is rather believed to be the forerunner of the Waray Balitaw because of the strict
emphasis on "joust" of impromptu songs interspersed with dancing. The bikal is survived by
the Ismay lingay and many versions of this art are preserved by aging "magsiriday" in Samar
and to a lesser extent Leyte.
The Kigal dance step called 'sabay' is in fact very similar to the Kuratsa dance step called
'dagit' or when more daring the 'sagparak'. Dagit means swoop while sagparak is descriptive
of a heated 'bulang' (cockfight). The block and chase portion of the Kuratsa (called 'palanat ' )
is never seen in the Mexican social dance La Cucaracha but is very common among Samar
'amenudo' (or couple dances) like the Ismay lingay, Amoracion, Alimukon, Kuradang and
Pantomina.
Popular versions of this dance exist in Samar can be classified as the Kuratsa Menor (the
usual favorite) and the many versions of the daring Kuratsa Mayor. New genres of Kuratsa
evolved as a result of necessity, like-as the name implies- Kuratsa kanan Kadam-an and a very
funny Kuratsa nga Pinayungan appropriate for rainy days.
What is the Philippines courtship folk dance?
The dance is performed in three parts, with three different rhythms. The dancing couple
starts the performance with a ballroom waltz. Then the music shifts to a faster beat for
the "chasing" scene, in which the female dancer flees and the male pursues her all across
the dance floor. The tempo picks up even more for the final part, in which the chase ends
with a furiously flirtatious scene. The female is won over, and the male imitates a
flamboyant bird in a mating dance
What costume to dance Kuratsa folk dance?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLBPB5nKyfM
https://youtu.be/Zu-0IVknM9w