Philippine dance

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FORMS

References: Alejandro 1978; Antique Folk Dances 1968; Fajardo 1961-1975; Gabao 1988; Hanna 1988; Mead 1949; Miel1979; Orosa- Goquingco 1980; Pastor Roces 1984; Philippine Folk Dances and Songs 1966; Reyes-Aquino 1953-1975; Reyes-Tolentino 1927, 1946; Sachs 1937, 1963; Sison-Friese 1980; Villaruz 1989.

CULTURAL DANCING

Cultural dancing is a type of dancing consisting of jazz folk, pseudofolk or current popular dances performed by Filipino entertainers abroad, mostly in Japan, and in other Asian, Middle Eastern, and Euro- pean countries. As most performers have little training and experience in dance, the term cultural dancer is often placed in quotation marks. The relatively large incomes of cultural dancers must often be shared with promoters, who have in- vested in studios, dormitories, or job placement agen- cies. Many dancers are exploited by recruiters who sometimes export them illegally. Once abroad, many dancers discover that they must render "extra- cultural" or hostessing services while assigned to hotels and clubs, which range from the grand to the dingy. Most male dancers end up as waiters. At present the quota of cultural dancers abroad is regulated by government through the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) of the Depart- ment of Labor and Employment. POEA has an audi- tion system of the most elementary kind in order to qualify a dancer, singer, musician, and specialty per- former (magician or other variety entertainers), who are then certified with a numbered card. • B.E.S Villaruz

DANCING ON TELEVISION

Television dancing is dancing created specially for the television medium. TV regular dancing and choreography should be suitable to TV technology and its pictorial effects, and the dancing space in a given studio. As the camera takes the place of the freer eye of the onlooker, the pictorial effect is highly selected and conditioned by the nature and handling of the tech- nological eye (Cullberg 1951). The TV camera can present dance form in various, if two-dimensional, perspectives: close-up, medium shot, long shot, from above or below, encircling the

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performer. It can create special effects on and around the performer. Various shots--dolly, tracking, tilt, pan, circle, and zoom-are planned with the story- board, set or location, and lighting. All these can trans- form the dance space, which the dancer creates with his movements, into the video space that the TV moni- tor's window restricts and exploits. The image on the monitor is manipulated as a one-way mirror by camera technique. Surrounding space is just as movable and malleable as the performer and his actions. Continuous time may be segmented so that it cuts through dance movement, doubling, juxtaposing or mix- ing its own presence with a simultaneous or separate action to create a new perception and reception of the dance. Should the technical presentation be pyrotech- nical, the overall effect could amount to a completely new art presentation. Imaginative video-dance recreates dance on the medium's own technical and artistic terms. Maya Deren and Merce Cunningham, for example, have used video, film, and the TV monitor as the presentation itself, or as a conditional complement to a live performance. Video, film and TV, however, are more often used for straightforward documentation of dance. Pure archival recording may be done in close-up, full-shot or medium-range takes, with or without moving the camera, or through planned simultaneous takes with several cameras. On TV, dance has been used extensively in variety packaging. In the Philippines, much of dance on TV is in the variety format. The musical variety show for singers inevitably employs the services of dancers and choreog- raphers. Among the directors who have worked closely with them are Teddy Yabut, Mitos Villareal, Freddie Cochran, and Al Quinn. Since the 1950s, when TV came to the Philippines, among those who have choreographed for the medium are Jamin Alcoriza, Al Quinn, Julie Borromeo, Alice Reyes, Choy Talosig, Lito Calzada, Amelia Apolinario, Ernie Estrella, and Terry and Lally Aldeguer. Quinn started with the Friday Variety Show, For Men Only, renamed Cannen on Camera, and the long- standing Superstar with Nora Aunor. Borromeo choreo- graphed for the shows of Nida Blanca and Nestor de Villa, and of Pilita Corrales on whose shows in the 1960s Dance Theatre Philippines often appeared. Reyes choreo- graphed for Time Out with Lyn or The Lyn Madrigal Show until she started concentrating on the Alice Reyes and Modem Dance Company, now Ballet Philippines. Calzada, at one time a dancer for Reyes, started as assistant to Choy Talosig, working with The Insiders, which supported Laura Danao. He went on to choreog- raph for Swing-in, hosted by Joey Lardizabal, and That Young Image with Jeanne Young. When the Associated

Broadcasting System-Chronicle Broadcasting Network (ABS-CBN) Dance Company was formed, Calzado be- came its permanent director-choreographer. Apolinario also specialized in TV choreography, maintaining her own company of dancers for both the stage and broadcasting. The Aldeguer Sisters choreo- graphed for the Tancho Tique Show Generation. Popular, now defunct ballroom-dancing shows in- clude Dance Time with Chito (Feliciano), Penthouse Live (with Archie Lacson) which later became Pent- house 7 and The Penthouse Party. Today, among the longest-standing TV variety shows is that of Vilma Santos. The most important TV choreographers of the 1980s and 1990s include Maribeth Bicharra, Lito Calzado, Geleen Eugenio, Erich Edralin, Mel Feliciano, and Douglas Nierras. • B.E.S.Villaruz

References: Branscome et al Mar 1988; Bush 1975; Cox Oct 1984; Cullberg 1951, 1966; "The Dance Man Behind the Chevy Show" May 1959; Dupuy 1954; Feliciano and Melina 1979; Maynard 1965; Reyes 1991; Sicam 1991; Simpson Jan 1977; Sunburst: The International Magazine 1976; Taub Aug 1980; Warshawski Mar 1987; Williams 1974.

ESCOTIS/CHOTIS/ SCHOTTISCHE

CHOTIS

The escotis/chotis/schottische is a Filipino term for "Scottish," a dance whose running steps and hops suggest that it may truly have been Scottish in origin. In the Philippines, the dance and step combination come in varying step patterns. The escotis is a step, close, step, hop; the working foot is placed at the rear with a bent knee (Reyes-Aquino 1966). Another ver- sion is a step, close, step, close (Fajardo 1964). The chotis step can be a brush, place, brush, place and four-step turn (Reyes-Aquino 1966). The schottische step can be a run, run, run, hop (Sison-Friese 1980). The schottische found easy acceptance as it de- veloped from the eccossaise, a lively dance of the early 1700s. The origin of the eccossaise is likewise con- troversial, with some authorities pointing to France and others to Scotland. Other scholars insist that it came from the German-Austrian area, and that as early as 1844 in Bavaria, the schottische was performed as the rheinlander and was known as the Bavarian polka. In any case, the schottische was a popular ballroom dance from 1800 to 1850. It may have been taught to Filipinos by Spaniards, visiting Europeans, or return- ing Filipinos. The European schottische step is done to 4/4 time with a number of possibilities: a step, close, step, hop; or run, run, run, hop. In the hop, the working foot

FORMS

may be placed by the ankle of the supporting foot, swung diagonally or in front of the supporting foot, to finish by pointing on the floor. The most noted escotis in the Philippines is done at all social gatherings in the barrios of Tinpas, Pasitan in Panay, and the mountainous areas of Capiz. During housewarmings, the hopping, jumping, and stamping movements of the dance test the structure's strength and durability. Toward the end, the music is played much faster, eliminating those who are out of breath. At the end, the remaining dancers are asked to whistle as a further test of their endurance and fitness. The escotis has many variants in the Visayas. One version from Kalibo, Aklan, is a three-figure dance. Another is a six-figure dance, but without any escotis step in its figures. Yet another from Roxas City is a five-figure dance, performed by four couples in va- rious floor patterns. The chotis of Camarines Sur was as popular as the waltz, polka, and mazurka, and danced in scattered, long, set, or quadrille formation. In Lal-lo, Cagayan, it was a favorite among the elderly lbanag. In llocos Norte, the chotis dingrefia has been claimed by the elite. Chotis

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ilocano and chotis vintarina were performed at many Ilocano gatherings. Today, it is a popular intermission number at social dances. The chotis de negros is per- formed to complete a social gathering. • C. G. Inigo

FOLK DANCE

Folk dance refers to the dances created and per- formed collectively by the ordinary people. The term usually includes: so-called "ethnic dances" such as those of the cultural community in the Cordillera, in Mindoro, Palawan, Sulu, and Mindanao; and the rural or lowland Christian dances, among the groups, like the Ilocano, Pangasinan, Tagalog, Pampango, Bicol, Cebuano, Ilongo, and Waray. Folk dances may also be divided into the "regional," which refers to dances particular to one locale or area; and the "national," which refers to those performed all over the country. Some regional dances, such as the tinik- ling of the W aray have become national dances because they are now performed by groups for all regions. A related term is "creative folk dance" which refers to character dances whose choreography uses folk steps and music. Philippine folk dances are diverse, and include religious, ceremonial, courtship, funeral, combative, ex- orcism, torture, comic, and game dances. They have been named after saints, heroes, teachers, foreign steps or dances, their countries or regions of origin, events, tribes, Philippine steps, a combination of steps or of steps and places, and a combination of words. Philippine folk dances other than religious, cere- monial, and a few social are performed with attention to detail and after meticulous rehearsals. Social dances, particularly ballroom dances, may be done on special request or at the spur of the moment. Some- times folk dances serve as a welcome intermission between ballroom dances and are called pasakalye (in- termission dances) or amenudo, and are performed by a couple or group. Filipino ethnic groups still believe in the efficacy of dance as a means of communicating with deity. Chris- tianized Filipinos too dance to plead with, or to thank the Virgin Mary or a patron saint, as in the turumba of Pakil, the subli of Batangas, and the sayaw sa apoy of Cavite. As in Filipino religiosity, the influence of in- digenous culture persists, despite colonization. Insects, reptiles, fowls, birds, simians, medicinal and fragrant plants, edible shoots, the national flower,

bamboo nodes, and the sound of wind as it passes through the leaves have all been accorded recognition in Philippine dance. Activities such as rice production, broom making, gold panning, fishing, tuba making, gathering of sweet potatoes, clams or honey, fetching of water, pot making, corn planting, and communal work have been reflected in Philippine folk dances. The dances use movements of the head, waist, arms, feet throwing, circling, swooping, offering, crowning. Some dances feature flags, beating with sticks, and swaying motions such as those of drunkards. Hand or stage properties are used: fans, earrings, bench, brass trays, chinaware, plates, oil lamps, drinking glasses, food covers, hats, fish containers, pots, leaves, floral arches, coconut shells, wooden implements, chopsticks, and Maypoles. Folk dances are integral to school, community, provin- cial, regional, and national celebrations. Children in ethnic groups learn theircommunity'sdances, informally. Christ- ian Filipinos have been learning their dances in school since 1915, when folk dancing was required as part of physical education at all levels. Teacher and professional training courses prescribe advanced folk dances. The Philippine High School of the Arts, established for the gifted, offers a degree in folk dancing. Research in folk dance was pioneered by Francisca Reyes-Aquino with the support of then University of the Philippines (UP) Pres Jorge C. Bocobo. This pivotal work was continued by Far Eastern University (FEU),

FOLK DANCE

Philippine Normal College (PNC), Philippine Women's University (PWU) and its regional colleges; by Mindanao State University, University of the East (UE), and the Philippine Folk Dance Society. Libertad V. Fajardo, Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula, Jovita Sison-Friese, Ligaya Fernando-Arnilbangsa, Juan Miel, Teresita Ines-Pascua, Ramon Obusan, Corazon Generoso-lfiigo, Paz Cielo Angeles-Belmonte, Henrietta Hofer Ele, Jose Balcena, Petronila Suarez, Marcelino Garcia, Dolores Suzara, Cesar Nirnor, Wilhelmina Torralba, Mary Jane Cacacho, Elena Rivera-Mirano, Abelardo Villavert, and many other regional researchers and teachers have broadened our understanding of the folk dance. Basilio Esteban S. Villaruz started recording dances in the Benesh move- ment notation, and Larry Gabao in Labanotation. Masteral degree programs in physical education encourage research on Philippine folk dances. Research materials are available at Centro Escolar University Di- vine World University, PNC, PWU, UP, University of San Carlos, and University of Santo Tomas (UST). Seminars and workshops are conducted yearly by the Philippine Folk Dance Society and the Cultural Cen- ter of the Philippines (CCP). To commemorate the De- cade of the Child, the Folk Arts Theater, and the Bayani- han Alumni separately programmed Indak Pambata, a summer workshop for children. From 1988 to 1991, the UP College of Human Kinetics trained public and private physical education teachers in folk dancing. The National Association of Physical Education and Sports and the Dance Education Association of the Philippines also

FOLK DANCE. The most popular Philippine folk dance called tinikling Is perfonned by the physical educaHon students of the Centro Escolar University In 1953. (Centro Escolar University Archives)

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conduct national summer congresses and workshops. Since 1990, the CCP has held a regional workshop on the production and staging of folk dances. Performers and tours of folk dance companies and consultancies complement the CCP outreach program. Folk dance contests are conducted in schools, com- munities, provinces, regions, and nationwide. Field day demonstrations saw mass participation of students from the 1940stothe 1970s. From 1976to 1986, street performers by dance groups welcomed visiting dignitaries. More re- cently, they have been greeted by school children perform- ing dance movements rather than full dances. Five-star hotels feature folk-dance evenings. Mul- tinational companies request dance companies to en- tertain and enlighten their guests. Folk dances have been presented on board tourist ocean liners at sea, or while docked in Manila Bay. Between 1958 and 1986, PWU held Saturday afternoon recitals with Bayanihan trainees and to feature newly discovered dances. In 1988, the CCP introduced folk dancing to tourists at the Manila Film Center. The renaissance of Philippine folk dance in the mid-1950s led to the inclusion of folk dances in Philip- pine movies. Folk dance groups were credited in the titles while popular movie stars relearned their folk dance fundamentals. A recent development is the recruitment of danc- ers, who are given free board and lodging to train in folk dance for variety shows abroad. Government sanction is given by a board of auditioners. The majority of prestigious folk dance groups are school based. Ten years ago, it was not uncommon for every school to have its own dance group. This had reciprocal benefits for the school, the staff, and partici- pants. The Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company of PWU, Philippine Baranggay Dance Company (origi- nally of the Philippine Normal College), Darangan Cultural Troupe of the Mindanao State University, FEU Dance Troupe, Salinggawi Dance Company of UST, UE Dance Company, UP Filipiniana Dance Group, Araullo University Dance Troupe and Western Visayas State Uni- versity Dance Company have performed locally and abroad. Of the nonschool-based groups, Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group, Leyte Kalipayan Dance Troupe, De- partment of Tourism Dance Company, Hwa Yi Ethnic Dance Center, the defunct Banoan-Saka, Tambuli Cultural Troupe, and several others have also been outstanding nationally and internationally. Festivals are staged by different provinces, featur- ing ethnic tribes. Among these are the kaamulan in Bukidnon, Araw ng Dabao in Davao, Saint Michael in Lanao, and the Lake Sebu festival in Cotabato. From 1976 to 1981, the Folk Arts Theater held yearly folk

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festivals participated in by residents from different re- gions, and conducted with workshops, parades, culi- nary and craft displays and sales. In 1987, the CCP launched the yearly folk dance festival, Pang-alay. Street dancing has been part of the fiesta scene. Authentic folk dance movements with their distinctive hand properties are employed to lend folk revelry and local color. These parades are featured in the ati-atihan of Aklan, sinulog of Cebu, Bohol, and Cuyo, pintados of Leyte, dinagyang of Iloilo, maskara of Bacolod, and the lanzones festival of Camiguin Island. The crucial tasks that face folk dance today are: continuous research before the dances are forgotten; correct documentation; training of teachers and re- searchers; dissemination of updated folk materials; and retention of authenticity in the staging of dances. On the other hand, the creative redefinition of folk themes and movements in choreography should continue toward the deepening of our understanding of Philippine life. Folk dances from other nations have been intro- duced to Philippine audiences by foreign groups which performed in the Philippine stage, such as the Dancers of Ceylon, 1960; Pakistan Dance Group, 1969; Beryoska Dance Company of Moscow, 1970; Karbadinka Georgian Dance Company, 1972; Indian Classical Dance Troupe of Vjayanthimala Balie, 1973; University of Malaya Dance Troupe, 1974; Ratna Buday Dance Troupe of Indonesia, 1976; Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, 1977; Moiseyew USSR State Folk Dance Ensemble, 1978; Barelek Gadang Operette of Sumatra, 1980; Ballet Folklorico Magisterial Mexico, 1981; Southeast Asian Dance Troupe of Hong Kong, 1984; Chandrasehkar Dance Company, 1988; Chinese Folk Dances, 1988; and National Dance Com- pany of Korea, 1989. In the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company, Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula choreographed many creative folk dances like Flight of the Idaw, a Cordillera dance suite; Tagabili, a Manobo story of vengeance; Indara- patra, The Many-colored Vinta or Muslim Mosaic, dances from the Maranao, Maguindanao, and Sulu archipelago; Aires de Verbena, European dances in Phi- lippine style and setting; and Halinhinan: Regional Variations, rustic dances of Christianized Filipinos. The presentations of other folkloric groups like Bibak from Baguio, Darangan Cultural Dance Troupe from Marawi, Tambuli Cultural Troupe from the Tawi- tawi, and Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group typify the folkloric ballet style and selection. The repertoire of the Philippine Dance Company of New York, founded in 1943 by Bruna P. Seril, is typical of Filipino folk dance groups in the United States and Europe. • C.G. Inigo

GAME DANCE

A game dance is dance performed for play, with rules, and a prescribed style and structure. Game dances are done in informal social gatherings both for fun as well as to test the dancers' skills. One popular game dance is the musical ice- breaker. In large social gatherings where not all the guests know each other, these dances functions as an introduction. In the Tagalog huricuti, a dancer per- forms with a hat. He goes around the room until he spots a likely partner to whom he offers the hat as an invitation to dance. Girl and boy dance together until they tire, and the process is continued by the second dancer who looks for his new partner. Another Taga- log game dance, pabo (turkey), is similar in theme, but different in formation. A dancer chooses a partner from a circle of dancers surrounding him and simu- lates the mating ritual of the turkey. In the culebra, the dancers perform informal and unstructured figures, but on a certain musical cue they may change partners and dance with whomever they choose. This goes on indefinitely or until the host decides that the guests are already well acquainted. In the Bicol group dance, lubi-lubi, the dancers may also change partners on musical cue.

HABANERA

Some game dances, on the other hand, are con- tests of skill. In the Pangasinan sayaw ed tapew na banko (dance on top of a bench), the objective is not to fall off the long wooden bench while performing the dance. The pandanggo sa patalong from Laguna tests a dancer's balance and coordination. The dancer per- forms on ceramic plates, which must not break, while balancing a glass of wine on the head, clicking cas- tanets in both hands, and singing. The Visayan dagit- dagit (to pluck) starts as a group dance. Dancers deemed mediocre by onlookers are unceremoniously plucked out of the formation until only the best are left. The igal ha panyuh from Sulu is a chasing game dance where an "it" weaves in and out of a circle formed by seated players carrying a small hand prop, such as a stick or kerchief. At a certain point, the "it" drops his prop next to a seated player who must then chase the "it" to the player's own position in the circle. If the "it" gets there first, the displaced player becomes the next "it." The game dance continues in this man- ner until all the seated players have had the chance to be "it." • D. Bercades

HABANERA

The habanera is a dance in 2/4 time named after Havana, Cuba. It is believed that the habanera was brought to or invented in Havana by African slaves. It has since become a formal social dance fit for the ball- room or stage. The Philippine version consists of a languid count "one" where the breath, body, and footwork suspend the initial step, a quickening of the pulse to catch up with the closing step on count "two," and an assertive step in place for completion on count "and," a sub- beat after count of "two." The habanera found its way to Spain and France in the late 19th century. Immensely popular in Spain, the dance was also immortalized by the French corn- posers George Bizet, Alexis Emmanuel Chabrier, and Maurice Ravel. Some dance historians, however, claim that the origin of the habanera was the Spanish contra- danza (square dance) of the 18th century, transformed in Havana and subsequently brought back to Spain. The habanera has been compared to and is thought by some dance authorities to be the prototype of the tango. The slow, stately dance is accompanied by coplas (verses). Partners face each other and execute ex- pressive gestures with langurous movements of the arms, hip, head, and eyes, which probably hint at the dance's Moorish and Asian beginnings (Koegler 1977).

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The habanera is found among the dances of the llocos, Cagayan, Pangasinan and, occasionally, other regional dances. The kilingkingan from Cagayan is named after a bird whose swift flight produces a sound similar to the clicking of castanets. It is danced to the cinco-dnco, the five-string guitar of Cagayan. The masco- ta, also from Cagayan, is an impromptu all-occasion dance, and is named after the design and style of a native skirt. Pabo (turkey) is a Tagalog game dance where a lone male struts around like an old turkey looking for a part- ner. Putong (to crown) is a beautiful dance from Marin- duque that honors guests during an asalto (surprise par- ty). The guests are serenaded, crowned, and given flow- ers as they sit between two children who are dressed as angels. Sainita from Nueva Vizcaya underlines the tasks of a good wife. There are also the surtido banana and surtido norte which incorporate the habanera. A few documented dances are identified as habanera. The habanera of Magsingal, Ilocos Sur, highlights the Ilocos kumintang gesture and deline- ates the modest character of the Ilocana. The lovely and complex habanera botolefta from Botolan, Zam- bales, was originally performed for a departing parish priest. Today, it is a famous theater piece. The habanera capizefta is a popular courtship dance requir- ing graceful arm movements. It is the only habanera that uses a cross-habanera step. The habanera jovenci- ta originates from Pampanga, its title derived from an endearing word for a young girl. The habanera de soltera celebrates the last dance of an engaged couple on the eve of their wedding day. Habasinan combines haba from habanera and sinan from Pangasinan.