Philippine Dances: A Transformative Occupation

From its rich and never-ending amounts of paradise-like beaches and islands, a top destination
for every traveler, a home for diverse wildlife, remarkable qualities such as hospitality, creativity, resiliency
and the so-called “bayanihan” after every disaster. These are just some of the hundred reasons why
Philippines is dubbed as different from the rest of the world. What some of the travelers don’t know here
is that the country has more to offer than just the destinations and qualities mentioned.
The country can also boast its own cultural and historical richness. There aren’t no other dances
in the world as diverse and distinctive as the dances in the Philippines. The three islands, namely; Luzon,
Visayas and Mindanao each have a different dance on their own. The variety reflects the cultural
differences obtained from different countries that invaded the country. Their dances can all be further
reflected in their music, art, form of movement, dynamics, theme and even their costume. It serves as a
way to express and showcase the different traits and traditions of people.
Starting with the Northern most region of the Philippines, the dances of Luzon are more focused
on their tradition and heritage. One great example is the Carinosa, a folk dance that is performed in a
flirtatious manner and often regarded as a national dance. The characteristic shy behavior of the female
dancer is said to represent the mannerisms of Filipina women, the Maria Clara suite to be exact. Dancers
make a number of flirtatious movements as they hide behind handkerchiefs or fans all while taking a peek
of each other. It reflects the courtship between two sweethearts in the Filipino style.
They also have the Bangga, a pot dance of Kalinga, Mountain Province in the Philippines. It
illustrates the Igorot women to fetch the daily water supply for their family on the river. It shows the
strength of women as they carry heavy clay pots full of water.
For the group of Visayas, their dances are mainly for the love of life and country. Therefore their
dances are more upbeat and exciting and less dramatic than the others. This can be seen through the
Sayaw sa Bangko where the dancers must use their ability and good skills on balancing as they dance
on top of narrow benches and the national folk dance, Tinikling, a pair of dancers hop between two
bamboo poles held just above the ground and struck together in time to music. Dancers imitate the the
tikling bird’s legendary grace and speed by skillfully maneuvering between two bamboo poles.
Mindanao has its own style of dances too and its main theme is pride and honor. Its culture
consists of Muslim or “Moro” people and other ethnic groups and also indigenous tribes. One great
example of a dance that shows the theme pride and honor is the Sagayan: The movements depict the
ferocity of warriors and is descriptive of the Maguindanaoans who hold the reputation of being brave
people. It shows the devotion of the Maguindanaoans to protect their communities from any form of
conquest or abuse and to also show their resiliency as well as their strength to bounce back from any
devastation.
With a thorough in-depth and close encounters of the country, people would surely focus on the
cultural and historical aspect of the Philippines rather than just the archipelagic structure. That’s why it is
very important in modern times that we still learn and at least try to present these different dances
because these dances have potentials to also represent the nation.
We have these wide and vast variety of dances that depicts our history and rich heritage. Through
these dances, it helped our nation to still preserve the beauty that lies within the dance itself, a story. A
great reminder and a narration of how we struggled, how we love, how we respect other people, how we
kept fighting for better days and of course, how we are as Filipinos.