PHILIPPINE DANCES

GROUP 5
CLASSIFICATION OF PHILIPPINES FOLK DANCE
GEOGRAPHICAL
1. NATIONAL DANCES found throughout the islands. (e.g. Rigodon, Carinosa, Jota)
• Rigodon
- Originated from Spain, this dance is commonly performed at formal affairs like
inaugural balls where prominent membersof the government participate and enjoy.
• Cariñosa
- Cariñosa is a word that describes an affectionate, friendly and lovable woman.
This dance is performed in flirtatiousmanner with fans and handkerchiefs to
assist the dancers hide-and-seek movements.
• La Jota Manileña
- It is a dance named after the capital city of the Philippines, Manila, where an
adaptation of Castilian Jota afloatswith the clacking of bamboo castanets played by
the dancers themselves. The costume and the graceful movements of
theperformers noticeably inspired by Spanish Culture.
2. LOCAL DANCES found in specific locality. (e.g. Tinikling-Leyte; Subli-
Batangas)
• Tinikling
- Tinnikling is considered the national folkdance with a pair of dancers
hopping between two bamboo poles held just abovethe ground and
struck together in time to music. Originated from Leyte Province, this dance
is in fact a mimic movement of tiklingbirds hopping over trees, grass stems
or over bamboo traps set by farmers. Dancers perform this dance with
remarkable grace andspeed jumping between bamboo poles.
• Subli-Batangas
- This dance is one of the most popular dance in the Philippines and the
favorite in Batangas. This dance is simplyceremonial in nature and this is
performed as homage to the Holy Cross. The Holy Cross is known by the
locals as the 'Mahal naPoong Santa Krus', and the Holy Cross plays an
important role in the development of the dance. In fact, the Holy Cross is
consideredat the center of the dance and without the Holy Cross the dance
will not materialize.
NATURE
• 1. OCCUPATIONAL DANCES depict actions of a particular occupation.
(e.g. Planting, Punding)
• 2. RELIGIOUS/CEREMONIAL associated with religion, vows and
ceremonies. (e.g. Dugsu, Sua-sua)
• 3. COMIC DANCES depict funny movements for entertainment.
(e.g. Kinotan, Makonggo)
• 4. GAME DANCES done with play elements. (e.g. Lubi-lubi, Pavo)
• 5. WEDDING DANCES performed during wedding feasts. (e.g. Panasahan)
• 6. COURTSHIP DANCES depict the art of courtship. (e.g. Hele-hele, Tadek,
Pantomina)
• 7. FESTIVAL DANCES suitable for special occasions. (e.g. Pandanggo,
Habanera)
• 8. WAR DANCES show imagery combat. (e.g. Sagayan, Palu-palo)
MOVEMENTS
• 1. ACTIVE fast energetic movements. (e.g. Tinikling,
Maglalatik, Polkabal)
• 2. MODERATE (e.g. Carinosa, Tagala)

• 3. SLOW (e.g. Pasakat, Amorosa)

• 4. SLOW AND FAST (e.g. Putritos, Habanera)

FORMATIONS
• 1. SQUARE (e.g. Rigodon, Los Bailes de Ayer)
• 2. LONG FORMATION dancers form 2 or more parallel lines. (e.g.
Lulay, Sakuting)
• 3. SET consists of 2 or more pairs as a unit. (e.g. Binadyong, Haplik
COURTSHIP DANCE
• Sayaw sa Bangko
The dance is performed on top of a narrow bench. The dancers will
requirements good balance as they go through a series of movements
with some impressive acrobatics. The dance and came back to the area
of ??Pangapisan, Lingayen and Pangasinan.
• La Jota Moncadeña
La Jota Moncadeña was adapted from an old Spanish dance. It is a
combination of Spanish and Ilocano dance set to Spanish music and
castanets. A more solemn version of the dance is sometimes used to
accompany a funeral procession, but it was also performed at the
festival
• Surtido
Surtido literally means “assortment,” and it's a square dance to a
composite of impact of French, Spanish and Mexican dance.
Traditionally the Surtido is performed by a head some accompanied by
two other couples who led all the dancers through various formations
that resemble an old-fashioned quadrille.
WEDDING DANCES
• The Higaonon Traditional Wedding Ceremony
The marriage is arranged mostly by the bride and groom's parents. It is a
long and tiresome arrangement process. Before the wedding, the future
groom must reside in the girl's residence for one year to show his worth and
he is observed by the parents of the future bride.
A typical wedding ceremony starts with wearing of traditional Higaonon
Filipino wedding dress. The bride and groom enter a house while the elder
bless the ceremony, known as “Dasang.” When inside the house, they sit
down together with the leader of Higaonon leader as well as the elders that
will execute the ceremony. The 2 candles are put on a plate stuffed with
triangle-like objects covered with banana leaves as well as coins. The candles
are lit and later on, one more elder recites a few chants, known as “Limbay”
that is tonal in nature, as if he sings.
• 2. Bontoc or Igorot Wedding
The Bontoc or Igorot wedding traditions usually range several days. It
begins with the giving of the black beans called “faratong” from the
woman to the man symbolizing the intentions of the bride to marry.
Later on, the family of the bride sends the salted pork “khakhu” to the
family of the groom. This can be countered by sending of glutinous rice
“sapa”. These foods are given to their own family members, which
includes their relatives.
A significant ceremony follows called “insukatan nan makan” means
exchange of food. After receiving the invitation, one of the parents of
the groom must visit the bride’s residence and join breakfast together.
Afterwards, the parent of the groom likewise invite the bride’s parent
for the same meal.
• Tausug Wedding
The Tausugs or Sulu people still practice traditional marriage. Parents
arranged the marriage so the young couple could be married, although
they didn't enough time to get acquainted.
• Way Of Dressing
The Tausug male wears fitting pants as well as a shirt. A sash is put
around the waist with a matching turban. The clothes are made from
cotton and weave locally. Often, males shave their hair or cut it very
short to indicate social status. The ladies wear Malay sarong. They put
on brass accessories on their blouses or perhaps use as a bracelet or
necklace.
OCCUPATIONAL DANCES
• The occupational dance called Buhay sa Bukid(Life on the Farm) features working in the
ricefield.
• Pagtatanim (rice planting) displays the tedious work of bending the body and stooping
forward for almost the entire day while planting rice. To ease the burden of work they
sing, play and jest to the accompaniment of a guitar.
• Paggapas (harvesting) is danced when the palay (rice) is ready for harvest.
• Paggi-ik (threshing) is also a dance done by treading the harvested palay to separate the
grain from the stalks, or sometimes by striking them against bamboo poles.
• Paghuhugas in the province of Laguna is a similar dance activity portraying the swinging
and striking of rice stalks with musical accompaniment.
• Pahangin (winnowing) is the women’s role of separating the unhusked grain from the
chaff by tossing them atop an elevated construction to be blown by the wind. The most
exciting of all these planting activities is the
• Bayuhan (pounding rice) where all barrio folks gather to celebrate and taste the fresh
grain.
Fiestas and Festivals
Philippine Dances
Either religious, cultural, or both
Honor the patron saint

Commemorate local history & culture

Promote the community’s products

Celebrate a bountiful harvest

Famous Fiestas and
Festivals in the
Philippines
Kadayawan Festival
“Madayaw” , a warm and
friendly greeting

Cultural, flower, harvest and

thanksgiving festival

Indak Indak sa Kadalanan

and Floral Parade

August 3rd week, Davao City

Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan

Floral Parade
The King of Festivals in the Philippines

The Indigenous tribe of Mindanao pay tribute

to the Manama or “Supreme Being”

Celebration of life, thanksgiving for the gifts of

nature, the wealth of culture, the bounties of
harvest and serenity of living.
Ati-Atihan Festival

“Aeta” the local name for

the aborigines.

Short, black skin , curly hair

Santo Nińo
Religious and Cultural Festival.

Tribal Dance, Music, Indigenous Costumes and

Weapons and parade along the streets.

Parade after the dawn procession and the holy

mass
13th century land deal between 10 migrating
Bornean chieftains and the aboriginal Ati King
Marikudo.

Golden salakot, brass basins, bales of cloth,

necklace for the Ati chieftain.

Eating, drinking, dancing etc.

Baptism of more than a thousand converts to
Christianity in one day.

“Kalibo” means a thousand, which is now the

same of the place, refers to that event.
Mother of all the big Sto. Nińo festivals

“The Mother of All Philippine Festivals”

“non-commercialized”

“participative type”
Paint their faces with black soot and wear
colourful elaborate costumes.

Allows drinking during the parade because it is

part of the fiesta tradition.

Grandiose like Mardi Gras

Panagbenga Festival

Local Kankana-ey term in

Cordillera meaning “a
season or time for
blossoming”

Modern flower festival

February/March
Grand Street Parade along Session Road on
Saturday at 8 am and the Grand Flower Float
Parade along Session Road on Sunday at 8 am.

Rise of Baguio from the city’s devastating

earthquake disaster on July 16, 1990.
Helped the younger generation of indigenous people to
rediscover their cultures old traditions.

Festival was set in February to boost tourism as it was

considered as a month of inactivity between the busy
days of Christmas season and the Holy week and the
summer season.
Dinagyang Festival
“Merry Making”

Honor Sto. Nińo and

celebrate the arrival of Malay
settlers in Panay

Held in Ilo-Ilo a week after the

Sinulog in Cebu and the Ati-
atihan on Kalibo.
January 4th Sun, Iloilo City

Kasadyaan Street Dancing on Saturday and the Ati-

atihan Dance Competition on Sunday

Best Tourism Event for 2006, 2007 and 2008 by the

Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines.
UN for the promotion of the Millennium
Development Goals. And cited by the Asian
Development Bank as Best Practice on
government, private sector and NGO
cooperatives.
Higalaay Festival
Kagay-an Festival

28th day of August

Feast day of St. Augustine of

Hippo

“higala” , friend, hence a

“Friendship Festival”
City of Golden Friendship

Father Pedro de Santa Barbara – built the first Christian

church near the fort (Gaston Park before).

August 28, 1780

Events:

Garden Show and Agri Fair

Kuumbira Culinary Show
Higalas Parade of Floats and Icons
Kahimuan Northern Mindanano: Food and Lifestyle Show
Miss Cagayan de Oro
Kagay-an Festival Marathon
Cagayan de Oro Carnival Parade
Fireworks Display
Higalaay Pyrolympics
Tuna Festival
Cultural and harvest festival

Tuna fish, Yellow fin tuna

Tuna Capital of the Philippines

September 3-5, General

Santos City
Panaad Festival
• Held annually during the month of
April in Bacolod City, the capital of
Negros Oriental
• Panaad hiligaynon term for “vow” or
“Promise”
• Held at Panaad Park
Paynauen Duyan
Paynauen Duyan Festival
Paynauen means “pahingahan”
and duyan is the local name for
hammock.

2005 – (April 3rd week, Iba,

Zambales)

Promote Iba as a rest-and-

recreation destination and the
beach capital of northern Luzon.
Binirayan Festival
• Held in Antique, Philippines
• Every December
• Commemorates the legend of the arrival of
the ten Bornean datus on the island of
Annipay known as Panay
Aliwan Festival
• Annual event that gathers different cultural
festivals of the Philippines in Star City
Complex
• Aims to showcase the different Fillipino
cultures and heritage
• Organized as a visual extravaganza for
Chrismas but is celebrated during the
summer months of April and May
Tanduyong Festival
• Held in San Jose, Nueva Ecija every 4th Sunday of
the month of April
• San Jose is the leading source of onions, garlic,
rice and vegetables
• Street dancing in colorful and enchanting
celebration of harvest
Dinengdeng Festival
• "Dinengdeng" Ilocano term for any vegetable-
simmered dish, usually cooked in a "banga" -
cooking pot
• The cooking pot or "banga" were used by the
descendants of the local settlers in the ancient
times.
• Aims to promote local tourism replacing the old
Tobacco festival
Pahiyas Festival
• A cultural, religious, harvest and
thanksgiving festival to San Isidro
Labrador, the Patron Saint of farmers.
• Every May 14-15 of the year in Lucban,
Sariaya & Tayabas, Quezon
• Kiping is a colorful and transluscent rice
sorts
• People believe that it is a blessing when
it rains.
Dinamulag Festival
“Zambales Mango
Festival”- harvest festival
started in 1999.

Celebrate bountiful
harvest of Mangoes in the
province.

March 19-24, Iba,

Zambales
World’s Sweetest Mangoes by
Guinness World Records in 1995 and
the country’s sweetest mangoes by
the Department of Agriculture in
2013.
Moriones Festival
Derived from the 16th and
17th century Morion Helmet.

Moriones is a media
creation in the 1960s while
Moryonon – the original
term .

Holy week, Boac, gasan, and

Mogpog, Marinduque
Passion Play during the Holy week.

Colorful warrior costumes and bright

tunics are worn, topped with the finely
carved helmets and masks.
Kaogma Festival

Means “a good time” or

“merriment” in Bicol.

May 27, Camarines Sur

Pinyasan sa Daet
Derived from Pinya, the
province’s prime produce.

1993

To boost tourism and promote its

Formosa variety as the country’s
sweetest pineapple.
• 2009, Daet made it to the Guiness Book of Records
by making the longest pineapple chain.

• June 15-24, Daet, Camarines Norte

Mudpack Festival

1986- art and advocacy

festival .

Feast of St. John de Baptist

June 24, Murcia, Negros

Occidental
• Conservation of our environment and living in
harmony with nature.

• Merry-making with dancers’ faces covered with

mudpack and bodies painted with Mambukal’s
distinct multi-colored clay.
Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival
Fused festival of the same
names.

Honor Sto. Nino

June 27-29, Tacloban, Leyte

Painted from head to toe with

designs that look like armor.
Cultural revival, a wild, wacky fiesta
T’nalak Festival
Art and cultural festival of the
T’bolis

Showcase traditional hand

woven cloth made of Abaca
fibers.

“Dream Weavers”

July 13-18, Koronadal City

Lang Dulay – honored as a National
Living Treasure
Sandugo Festival
Historical and cultural festival

Commemorationg the Treaty

of Friendship between Datu
Sikatuna, and Spanish
conquistador Miguel Lopez de
Legazpi.

March 16, 1565

July last week, Tagbiliran City, Bohol

Street dancing competition

Kinabayo Festival

Reliigious, cultural and sports

festival

Honor St. James the Apostle

July 25, Dapitan City

Ibalong Festival
Non-religious, cultural festival
based on Ibalong Epic.

Baltog, Handyong and

Bantong

Wearing masks and costumes

imitating the appearnces of
the heroes and villains
August 2nd week, Legazpi City, Albay

Express warmth and goodwill to all people.

Sirong Festival
Ethnic mardi-gras competition
parade

2004, August 14,

Cantilan, Surigao del Sur

War dance between Muslims

and Christians

Manobos and Mamanwas

Bonok-Bonok Maradjao Karadjao Festival

“rain” , “very good”, hence, it

means, all the best rain showers.

Honor San Nicolas Tolentino

Thanksgiving for Bountiful
harvest

“blessing, good tidings, good

harvest, happiness”
Traced from the worship, thanksgiving, wedding
rituals.

September 9, Surigao City

Penafrancia Festival

Nine-day fiesta

Honor of Our Lady of

Penafrancia

September 3rd week, Naga

City, Camarines Sur
Parades, sports events, exhibitions, and beauty
pageants.

Via Bicol River

Masskara Festival
“mascara” , mask

Masquerade party

Electric Masskara Dance

Parade

October 19, Bacolod City

Hermosa Festival
Honor of Nuestra Senora del
Pilar Zaragosa.

Oldest festivals

Regatta of colorful native vintas,

the Cosechas(harvest) De
Zamboanga.

October 10-12, Zamboanga City

Lanzones Festival

Harvest celebration

Also known as langsats

October 25-28, Camiguin

Higantes Festival
Honor of San Clemente

Angono
The Guido

Higantes – four to five feet in

diameter and ten to twelve
feet in height.

November 22-23, Angono, Rizal

Abaca Festival
Catanduanes Abaka Festival

A cultural and harvest

celebration of the island prime
produce- the Abaca or Manila
hemp.

May 4th week, Virac,

Catanduanes
WAR DANCE
• Maglalatik is a mock-battle between Christians and Moros. A
maglalatik performance involves two groups of dancers; one
group wearing red trousers represents the Christians while the
other wearing green trousers represents the Moros. The mock-
battle was over the possession of “latik” (fried coconut milk
curd), which is a popular ingredient of Filipino snacks.
• The Kalingas, another mountain tribe of Northern Philippines has a
ritual dance called idaw. A ritual leader called the “mandadawak”
facilitated the idaw. In idaw, a group of warrior watches over the
number of insects entering a plate; the number of which will
determine the number of heads to be taken in during a headhunting
expedition. The Kalingas also have a celebratory dance called a
takiling, which is performed after a successful headhunting
expedition. The crowned heroes of such missions were called
“Mingaos.”