Francisca Reyes Aquino

On March 9, 1899, Francisca Reyes-Aquino, the country's pioneer researcher on traditional

Philippine folk dances and music and known as the mother Philippine folk dancing, was born in
Lolomboy, Bocaue, Bulacan.

Francesca was the eldest of the three children of Felipe Reyes and Juliana Santos. She had her
early schooling at the Meisic Elementary School, Tondo Intermediate School and Manila High School in
Tondo, Manila. She obtained her High School Teacher's Certificate (HSTC) in 1923, her Bachelor of
Science in Education degree in 1924 at the University of the Philippines (UP) and her Master of Arts
degree in 1926 also at the UP.

In 1922, while still studying at the university, she worked as student assistant at its department of
physical education. After graduating, she served there as instructor of physical education, then assistant
physical director and, finally, as director in charge of women. In 1927, Dr. Jorge Bocobo; then UP
president, sent her to the provinces to research on folk songs and dances. As a result, the university was
able to exhibit Philippine dances at the Philippine Carnival Auditorium.

In 1929, as a UP fellow, she took graduate courses in physical education at the Sargent College of
Physical Education, Boston University, where she received her certificate in physical education in 1931.
She also attended the summer session at Harvard University in 1930. Upon resuming her position at UP
as Physical director for women in 1930, she continued her research.

In 1934, Mrs. Aquino became a member of the UP president's advisory committee on dances and
songs. Wishing to save the native dances from oblivion, Dr. Bocobo gave the committee full moral and
financial support. Together with Antonio Buenaventura and Ramon Tolentino, her first husband who died
in 1939, Mrs. Aquino was commissioned to collect and record the country's songs, dances, music,
costumes, musical instruments, and customs.
 Every summer, she would go to the remotest barrios in the provinces, gathering her material
directly from the old natives who used to sing and dance during their younger years. While she studied
the dance steps and movements, Buenaventura recorded the folk music and Tolentino took still and
moving pictures. Most of the old folks were willing and eager to dance before the visitors, but some had
to be bribed with food or money before they would agree to perform. Just to be able to contact probable
sources, she sometimes had to go up the mountains on horseback, or cross-rivers and streams. Once, the
members of the research team almost lost their lives when their banca was tossed by strong, heavy waves
in the open sea.

In her researches, Aquino was able to gather about 50 basic steps and 200 folk dances of various
modes and colors. She discovered that people living near the sea had dances about fishing and rowing,
those in the coconut regions performed dances using coconut shells, and those in rice-producing
provinces had dances depicting various stages of planting and harvesting rice. She also observed that the
natives in economically self-sufficient areas had gay and livelihood dances, while those in places where
livelihood was hard, dances were sad, slow and even mournful.

When Bocobo was appointed Secretary Public Instruction, he requested the transfer of Mrs.
Aquino to the Bureau of Education. There, she became supervisor from 1940 until 1947, when she was
appointed superintendent of physical education to the Department of Education. She held this position up
to her retirement in 1964. While serving as supervisor at the Bureau of Education, she had all the
opportunity to actively promote the revival of folk dances through the public schools. She organized the
bureau’s Folk Song and Dance Club which was composed of public school teachers and high school
students serving as its adviser with Serafin Aquino, who became her second husband in 1946. The club
conducted weekend rehearsals and programs in different schools to drum up interest in Philippine folk
dances among their faculty and student populations. In no time at all, folk dances became regular part of
their physical education program, with their private schools later following suit.

Aquino organized the Philippine Folk Dance Society, a non-profit cultural organization, and once
served as consultant to the world-famous Bayanihan Dance Company. Today, folk dances are performed
not only for enriching our cultural heritage but also in promoting tourism and international goodwill.

For her great effort in researching and popularizing Philippine folk dances, she received the following
honors:

 An honorary doctor of science in physical education degree from Boston University in 1949;
 The Republic of the Philippines award of merit "for outstanding contribution toward the
advancement of Filipino culture" in 1954;
 An honorary doctor of humanities degree from Far Eastern University;
 A certificate of award from the UNESCO National Commission;
 A presidential citation for distinguished service to the 10th World Jamboree from the Boy Scouts
of the Philippines in 1959;
 The Rizal Pro Patria Award in 1961; and
 Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service in 1962.
 Aside from doing field researches, Aquino also wrote books, 15 in all, and various articles on folk
dances. In 1959, the Philippine Public School Teachers Association elected her as representative to the
World Conference in Teaching Profession in Washington, D.C.

In her mid 70’s, she received the highest honor any Filipino artist could hope for – the National Artist
Award, which was conferred on her on June 12, 1973. She was the first woman to be conferred this
prestigious award.

The last two honors she received were the Karangalang Plaridel, given by the provincial government
of Bulacan in 1974, and a certificate of recognition from the YWCA of Brooklyn, New York.

Francisca Reyes-Aquino died on November 21, 1983. She was given a state funeral and buried at the
Libingan ng mga Bayani. She left behind a daughter, Mrs. Cecilia T. Martinez, an only child by her first
marriage.

In 1991, the Sentrong Pangkalinangan ng Pilipinas celebrated the Francisca Reyes-Aquino

Commemorative Year and, in February of that year, the CCP Rehearsal Hall was named Bulwagang
Francisca Reyes-Aquino.