The History and the Evolution of Philippine Dance

As a process of retrieving information on the ways of dancing, dance research occupies a limited sector in Philippine
scholarship.
For the most part, early records on Philippine dance had been written by foreigners; among the most notable ones are
Antonio Pigafetta (Ferdinand Magellan's historian), Fr. Francisco Colin and Jean Mallat. True documentation of dance only came in
the second quarter of the 20th century, by Francisca Reyes Aquino in the late '20s when she worked on her thesis and further went
out to the field with Ramon Tolentino and Antonio Buenaventura as a team under the auspices of University of the Philippines
president, Jorge Bocobo. These also resulted in the formation of the UP Folk Song and Dance Club that toured the provinces and the
publication ofPhilippine Folk Dances and Games (1935) with Petrona Ramos and Philippine National Dances (1946). Aquino further
extended her research and publication through the years, the most outstanding of which is the six-volume Philippine Folk
Dances (1953 - 1979). She was assisted by a number of other researchers like Emerita Basilio in Luzon and Jose Balcena in the
Visayas.

Emulating her example, others followed with their own regional researchers: like Libertad V. Fajardo with three volumes on
Visayan dances (1961 - 1975); Juan C. Miel on Samar dances (1973); Jovita Sison Friese on Pangasinan dances (1980); Teresita
Pascua Ines on Ilocano dances; Petronila Suarez on Iloilo dances; Lourdes Buena and Leon Tuy on Bicol songs and dances; Gloria
Cabahug on Cebuano dances; and a coordinated research on Antique dances led by Abelardo Villavert.In the '50s, the Bayanihan
Folk Arts Center, preceded by the Philippine Women's University Filipiniana Folk Music and Dance Committee in the '30s, was
organized with some provincial branches.Respective heads for music, dance and designs were Lucresia Kasilag, Lucresia Reyes
Urtula and Isabel Santos. The center also developed into the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company. In its midst came dancer-
researcher Ramon A. Obusan who now heads his own Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group, and research and archival center. Other
independent researchers of note are Ligaya Fernando Amilbangsa on Tausug, Samal and Badjao dances (Pangalay: Traditional
Dances and Related Folk Artistic Expressions, 1983), and Elena Rivera Mirano on Batangas music and dances, particularly on the
subli (Subli, Isang Sayaw sa Apat na Tinig / One Dance in Four Voices, 1989).
Obusan has perhaps the largest collection of video-films on Philippine dances, with several of them used in the Cultural Center of
the Philippines-produced Tuklas Sining series on the arts. Two of the four video-documentations on dance directed by Obusan
and scripted by Basilio Esteban S. Villaruz have won national and international awards.

The use of movement has largely been confined to Aquino's verbal and directional system, arranged into figures and fitted into
counts and phrases. Larry Gabao teaches Labanotation at the Philippine Normal University and Villaruz teaches the Benesh
system at the University of the Philippines. Use of these more developed systems have not been widely accepted for lack of
tutors and passivity among dance teachers. Two organizations in folk dance that seek to safeguard dance traditions are the
Philippine Folk Dance Society and the Francisca Reyes Aquino Memorial Foundation.In theatrical dance, there are too few
researchers. Oral history has been collected by the dance program at the UP College of Music and a few more by Marcelino
Foronda. Among the early writers on Philippine theater are Vicente Barrantes (1889), Juan Atayde (1892) and Wenceslao Retana
(1909), and comprehensively surveyed up to 1946 by Cristina Laconico Buenaventura (1994). In the 70's and '80s, the Ballet
Federation of the Philippines published its newsletter Sayaw Silanganan (edited by Villaruz) and Ballet Philippines itsDance
Philippines (edited by Nestor Jardin).
 The History of Dance in the Philippines

Dance is an integral part of Filipino culture that dates to the period before Ferdinand Magellan stepped foot in the Philippines. The traditional
dances of the Filipinos are vibrant and colorful, capturing the history of the archipelago.

Before the Spanish

Various tribes were scattered across the more than 7,000 islands, each with its own unique traditions and dances. The Igorot tribes lived in the
mountains of Luzon; a handful of these tribes still reside in the mountains, having successfully resisted Spanish colonization. Many of the dances
have been handed down through the generations. Dance expresses this tribe's love of nature and gratitude to the gods. To imitate the wonders
of nature, dancers often swoop their arms like birds and stomp their feet to represent the rumbling of the Earth.However, many other tribes in
other regions are disappearing, and only a few of their dances survive. Thanksgiving, worship and prayers for a bountiful harvest mark the style
of these dances.

Voyage to Mindanao
In the 12th century, traders and seafarers came to the Philippines long before the Spanish, bringing the Islamic faith with them. The inhabitants
of the southern region converted to Islam, incorporating their new religion into the fabric of their existing culture. The dances of the Muslims,
known as Moros, are alluring and colorful. Female dancers wear costumes studded with jewels, while male dancers brandish swords and
shields. The Moros use languid arm movements to imitate the world around them such as the wind, the sea and the fish. Each dance is
punctuated by the haunting sounds of the kulintangan, a set of small gongs.Like the Igorots, the Moros were able to resist Spanish rule, which is
why many of their dances continue to flourish.

Maria Clara
In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan came to the archipelago, signaling the start of Spanish colonization. However, the Spanish didn't get a foothold in
the Philippines until 1565. Three centuries of Spanish rule left an imprint on the Filipinos. Many of them were converted to Catholicism and
forced to take Spanish surnames.During this period, Western culture spread through the islands, including such Western dances as the waltz,
fandango and polka. With a little Filipino flare, they quickly became part of the culture. This "new" style of dance was named Maria Clara after
the tragic character in Jose Rizal's novel "Noli Me Tangere."

Barrio Fiesta
After toiling in the rice paddies, countryside farmers would gather to sing and dance. These dances revolve around everyday items, such as
glasses, candles, benches, hats and bamboo poles. Because the dances are a celebration, they are often referred to as "a barrio fiesta." One of
the more complicated dances is pandanggo sa ilaw, meaning "dance of lights," which imitates wandering fireflies. To accomplish the illusion,
women delicately balance three "tinghoy," or oil lamps, on their heads and palms.

The National Dance

Tinikling, the national dance, is considered the oldest of the Philippine folk dances. The dance, which comes from the countryside, takes its
name and movements from the "tinikling" bird as it roams between grass steams, crushes tree branches and avoids traps set by rice farmers.
Dancers skip gracefully back and forth while trying to avoid getting their feet caught by two bamboo poles.There are many tall tales about the
dance's origins. According to one story, Filipino farm workers who displeased their Spanish masters had their feet smashed by two bamboo
poles. When the poles were apart, the workers would jump to avoid getting hurt. Thus, this dance was born.

Legacy
Many of these dances survive today, thanks to dance troupes in the Philippines and abroad. Filipino student organizations at many U.S.
universities and colleges put on a yearly celebration of cultural dances.