5 PHILIPPINE DANCE SUITE
1. RURAL SUITE- Perhaps the best known and closest to the Filipino heart are the dances from the
rural Christian lowlands: a country blessed with so much beauty. To the Filipinos, these dances
illustrate the fiesta spirit and demonstrate a love of life. They express a joy in work, a love for
music, and pleasure in the simplicities of life. Typical attire in the Rural Suite include the colorful
balintawak and patadyong skirts for the women, and camisa de chino and colored trousers for
the men.
a. SAYAW SA BANGKO
History: Sayaw sa Bangko is a famous
Pilipino folk dance in which the dancers
must use good skill and balance as they
dance on top of a narrow bench. This
dance dates back to before the Spanish
colonization of the Philippines, which
means it is a purely Pilipino Ancestral
dance. Dancers showcase their skills as
they dance atop a narrow bench, while
constantly trading places. As opposed to competing with each other to stay on the
bench, dancers must complement each other to ensure that they do not fall. This dance
is usually performed in town fiestas.
Dance Steps:
b. TINIKLING
History:
Tinikling dance originated during the Spanish occupation in the Philippines—particularly
on the island of Leyte. Rice farmers on the Visayan Islands usually set up bamboo traps
to protect their fields, yet tikling birds dodged their traps. Locals imitated the birds’
movement, and supposedly, that’s how this dramatic traditional folk dance was born.
Dance Steps:
1. Hop on your right foot.
2. Hop another time on the right foot.
Perform these steps between both poles:
3. Step on the left foot.
4. Step on the right foot.
Do these steps outside the poles:
5. Hop on the left foot outside the poles.
6. Hop again on the left foot outside both poles.
Return to between the poles for these steps:
7. Step on your right foot.
8. Step on your left foot.
c. Pandanggo sa Ilaw-Oasioas
History:
Pandanggo sa Ilaw is a very popular folk dance in the Philippines. It is said to
have originated from Mindoro, the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. This dance
of lights simulates fireflies at dusk and at night.
The word pandanggo is from the Spanish fandango, a dance in 3/4 time. The phrase sa
ilaw is Tagalog for “in light” and it refers to the three oil lamps that a dancer has to
balance — one on the head and one on the back each hand. The oil lamp is called
tinghoy. Sometimes, candles in glasses are used instead of an oil lamp.
The music to which the pandanggo sa ilaw is now commonly danced was composed by
Col. Antonio R. Buenaventura, a National Artist for Music and a native of Bulacan. He
wrote the music sometime in the early 1930’s while teaching at the Conservatory of
Music at the University of the Philippines.
Dance Steps:
Girl's Part:
Stand with feet in third position, R foot in front, knees
relaxed. Do the following hand movements, hands first at shoulder
level in front:
(a) Raise R hand and lower L hand slowly
(b) Reverse the movements of the hands
(c) Cross the hands in front, R over the L hand
(d) Back to the starting position
(e) Repeat (a) and (b)
(f) Lower both hands and bend the knees slightly
(g) Raise both hands and straighten the knees
Boy's Part
(a) Repeat figure I, going clockwise around the girl
d. Binasuan
History:
Binasuan is a folk dance that originated in Bayambang, Pangasinan,. The word
“binasuan” means “with the use of drinking glasses.” The dancers balance glasses on
their heads and in their hands as they move. The glasses are filled with rice wine, which
makes any misstep a messy mistake. People dance binasuan at weddings and festivals. A
group of dancers generally performs binasuan, moving in unison, but occasionally
breaking into smaller groups and performing different choreography. For example, they
can begin in a circle, then form two columns, which then bend into semicircles, and one
follows the other to reform the circle. The music is in three-quarter time.
Dance Steps :
1. Step in a flowing motion onto the center of your performance area. As you step,
balance the wine glass carefully on your head. Also, keep your hands turned up to
balance both wine glasses.
2. Sway your hips to the right while lifting the wine glasses high above your head.
3. Sway your hips to the left while lifting the wine glasses high above your head.
4. Twirl in place quickly while balancing the wine glasses for thirty seconds, concluding
the twirl with your face to the audience.
5. Step forward with your right foot and bring your right arm forward in a flowing
motion.
6. Step forward with your left foot and bring your left arm forward in a flowing motion.
7. Rotate your arms over your shoulder in small, circular motions as you step from left
to right in small, quick motions for 30 seconds.
8. Twirl and rotate your arms below shoulder height.
e. Subli
History :
Subli is the dance portion of a devotion performed in honor of the Mahal na Poong
Santa Cruz, a large crucifix of anubing wood with the face of the sun in silver at the
center. The icon was discovered in the early decades of Spanish rule in what is now the
town of Alitagtag, Batangas. It is the patron of many towns in the area, notably the
ancient town of Bauan, Batangas.
The subli consists of a long sequence of prayers in verse, songs, and dances, performed
in a fixed sequence. The verse recounts the first journey of the early manunubli ( subli
performer)through the fields, hills, and rivers of Batangas in search of the miraculous
cross. Sections of verse are sung to a fixed punto or skeletal melody, which may be
elaborated on in a different way by a different subli troupe.
Dance Steps:
Hopping- Springing into the air from one foot and landing on the same foot
Jumping- Movement without a point of support or Spring into the air off both feet and
land on both feet
Leaping-A transfer of weight from one foot to the other. Push off with a spring and land
on the ball of the other foot, letting the heel come down Bend knee to absorb the shock
Pivoting-A traveling turn executed with thighs locked and feet apart in extended fifth
position
Shuffling-A triple step similar to a Polka step with no lilt for example step forward left
and bring the right foot up yo the heel of the left foot.
Brushing-To brush, sweep or scuff the foot against the floor
Kumintang- a simple, classic gesture of rotating the hand and wrist and movement of
arms which was believed to have been inspired by arnis.
Sarok or Salok- is an elaborate bow which must have been inspired by the woman
acitivity of fetching water from a well.
sway-A tilt of the chest to the side, without lowering the torso Stretching from the side
upwards
Waltz steps-A ballroom dance in 3/4 time which first developed in Vienna as a fast
paced dance to the Strauss music of the time, and eventually evolved into the slower
version we now know as Waltz (or Slow Waltz).
2. Maria Clara Suite
During the Spanish period, Western European ways of life spread throughout the Islands. Along
with them came European dances such as the waltz, fandango, mazurka, polka, and the jota.
The Filipinos welcomed these dances and, by adding native flare and style, made them their
own. Named in the honor of the heroine in Dr. Jose Rizal's novel, Noli me Tangere, the Maria
Clara Suite captures the elegance and charm of the mestiza Filipina as well as the gallantry and
boldness of the mestizo Filipino. Courtship, love, and flirtation are all evident in this suite of
romantic dances.
a. Cariñosa
History :
is a Philippine folk dance of Hispanic origin. It is closely associate with the island of Panay and
the Visayas region in general. The word cariñosa is from the Spanish cariñosa meaning the
affectionate one. This is a courtship dance that portrays acts of flirtation between a man and a
woman. The dancers perform steps resembling hide-and-seek movements. The woman holds a
handkerchief or sometimes a fan.
Dance Steps :
Step 1: 3 step turn and bow facing each other
Step 2: 3 step and point Right-Left direction in 16 counts
Step 3: Touch Step - 3 step forward in 2 count. 4 touch steps, change position then repeat
Step 4: * 3 step forward and back to back
* 4 touch steps
Change position and repeat the first two on step 4 above
Step 5: * 3 step forward
* Girl opens her fan and will start fanning herself
* 4 touch steps
* Change position and repeat the first three on step 5 above.
Step 6: * 3 steps forward
* Boy moves forward then kneel
* Girl taps the boy with her fan and she will do 4 touch steps
* Change position
* Girl will kneel as they look each other and the boy will do 4 touch steps
Step 7: * 3 steps forward
* Girl gets the handkerchief from the boy
* Both will move the hanky up and down four times
* Chang position then repeat the first three in step 7
Step 8: Dance with grace
b. Chotis
History :
It is said that the chotis is a dance originated in Scotland that arrived to France and, then, it
travelled to Germany where was called "Schottische" --Scottish--. On November 1850, it was
danced for the first time in Madrid, at the Royal Palace, with a different name: German Polka.
People was immediately fascinated with this kind of dance, which became more and more
popular and everybody practiced it during the verbenas. In fact, nowadays, when a verbena's
day begin and the people hear the music of the organillo, they can’t stop to dance chotis so
famous as "Pichi".
Dance Steps :
1. Brush or slide R (L) obliquely forward or sideward
2. Raise R (L) in fifth in front or rear
3. brush or slide R (L) again as in count 1
4. 4. raise up as in count 2
5. Take three steps in place turning right (left) about (cts. 1, 2, 3),
6. pause (ct. 4).
7. The turn may be a complete or half turn around either to right or left.
c. La Estudiantina
History :
La Estudiantina is a Spanish-inspired dance of the Philippines. The country was under the
rule of Spain for more than three hundred years, during which time local culture was
markedly influenced.
Young women who studied (at home with tutors for instance) used to be called estudiantina
(male students were called estudiante), and this dance was originally performed by women
carrying a book or a fan, items associated with female students. There are many regional
versions of this dance. The one in the video below is from Samar. There is also another
popular version from Quezon province.
Dance Steps:
c. La Jota Manileña
History:
the Philippines, Manila. The La Jota Manilena is a Filipino adaptation of the Castilian Jota. It
is a dance with a bamboo castanets being clack by the dancers while they are dancing. The
costume of the dancers and their movements were all inspired by the Spanish.
Dance Steps:
d. Havanera de jovencita
History :
3. Muslim Suite
Although largely Christianized like the rest of the country, the sprawling island of Mindanao to
the south still possesses various ethnic groups professing different faiths, among which the
Muslim culture dominates. This suite shows exotic dances performed as homage to the sultan
with very strong Indo-Malayan and Arabic influences.
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