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Philippine dance has played a tremendous role in Philippine culture. From one of the oldest dated dances called the Tinikling, which originated from the Spanish Colonial Era, to other folkloric dances such as the Pandanggo, Cariñosa, and Subli, and even to more modern-day dances like the Ballet, it is no doubt that dance in the Philippine setting has integrated itself in society over the course of many years and is significantly imbedded in our culture. Each of these dances originated in a unique way and serve a certain purpose, showcasing how diverse Philippine dances are.

Types of Dances
Classified by each Ethnic Group

The presentation of each type of dance in the Philippines is often categorized in ethnic or geographic localization. These localizations are presented in the following:

=== Dances of the Cordillera Mountains (Igorot) === Cordillera, a name given by the Spanish Conquistadors when they first saw the mountain ranges. Meaning "knotted rope", the Spanish term refers to the jumbled rolls and dips of this long-range traversing the northern part of Luzon Island.

Today, if one is to generalize one of the six ethnolinguistic tribes as an "Igorot" is considered degrading. Living amidst the rice terraces that tower over Northern Luzon are a people whose way of life existed long before any Spaniard or other foreigners stepped foot on the Philippines. The Bontoc, Ifugao, Benguet, Apayo, and the Kalinga tribes reign over Luzon's mountain terrain.

They are pagan people, living simple lives to appease their gods. Their rituals celebrate their daily lives - a good harvest, health, peace, war, and other symbols of living. Such traditions have survived the changing scope of the Philippines and the tribes continue to maintain their cultures that are a part of the colorful cultural fabric known as Philippine culture.

=== Dances of the Taga-Ummah (Muslim) === They are known for their mysticism, royalty, and beauty which are evident in their music and dances. Accompanied by the agong and kulintang, Filipino Muslim dance is marked by intricate hand and arm movement along with shimmering costumes.

Aside from the colorful contributions of its regional tribes, Mindanao is home to the largest cultural minority in the Philippines - the Muslims. Brought by Javanese and Middle Eastern traders, Islam is the religion of approximately 20 percent of the Philippine population.

Dances of the Traditionalist (Lumad)
Mindanao, the Philippines' southernmost island, is the country's cultural melting pot. It houses influences from Spain, China, Indonesia, and the Middle East. Although Mindanao carries a strong flavor from other lands, there are people who have lived there before it became a breeding ground of foreign trade. Tribes such as the T'boli, Bilaan, Manobo, Bagobo, and other groups inhabit the vast regions of Mindanao.

Like their Northern Luzon counterparts, these groups honor pagan gods for the fruits and trials of daily life. What distinguishes them from other tribes in the Philippines is their intricate craftsmanship in metal, clothing, and jewelry. These tribes pride themselves in their concept of beauty and are known for creating colorful sets of jewelry and clothing out of dyed pineapple and banana fibers with are showcased in their traditional dances.

In the lush mountains and forests of Mindanao, indigenous peoples collectively known as Lumads have, for centuries, lived lives defined by a peaceful coexistence with nature and among themselves. The Manobo, Subanen, B’laan, T’boli, Talaandig, Tigwahanon and the thirty other ethnic tribes possess a colorful and rich material culture that is surpassed only by their profound sense of spirituality.

To be Lumad is to be one with nature, and ultimately, with God. This intricate mixture of spirituality and nature has produced a unique culture and ethos expressed through the Lumad’s weaving, sculpture, metal craft, poetry, music and creative movements.

=== Dances of the Low-land Western-Christians === Dances that are best known, and closest to the Filipino heart are those 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.

Impact of Societal Functions to Choreography
Explanation

Pre Colonialism
They danced to appease the gods, to curry favor from powerful spirits, to celebrate a hunt or harvest, to mimic the exotic life forms around them. They danced their stories and their shamanic rituals, their rites of passage and their remembered legends and history.

Various tribes were scattered across the more than 7,000 islands, each with its own unique traditions and dances. The Igorot tribes lived in the mountains of Luzon; a handful of these tribes still reside in the mountains, having successfully resisted Spanish colonization. Many of the dances have been handed down through the generations. Dance expresses this tribe's love of nature and gratitude to the gods. To imitate the wonders of nature, dancers often swoop their arms like birds and stomp their feet to represent the rumbling of the Earth.

Spanish Colonialism
Nearly 400 years of Spanish rule left an unremovable mark on the Philippines. Spain brought with them all aspects of their culture to the Islands. This includes the Catholic faith, clothing, and dance. The barong tagalog and the terno are Philippine interpretations of Spanish dress made to fit the humid climate of the Philippines. Aside from creating their own versions of European fashion, Philippine aristocrats created Filipino adaptations of European dance as well. These include jotas, fandanggos, mazurkas and waltzes that were danced by young socialites to the stringed music of the rondalla.

Spain restructured the Filipino’s lives in terms of politics, economics, religion and culture. This hispanization pervaded even the musical and choreographic practices of the people. Dances took on the tempo and temper of the European forms. For example, the noted Tinikling (which has had some Southeast Asian beginnings) and the Itik-itik (rustic and imitative like the other dances) acquired the tempo of the jota and the polka. Down to the research of Francisca Reyes Aquino, dances that did not have Western harmony were provided melodic accessibility, as in Pandanggo sa Ilaw and Subli. Aside from modifying ritual, occupational and imitative dances, the Spaniards brought in their own dances. The most popular was the jota, later taking on numerous regional variations. Another was the fandango that was re-styled as pandanggo — a dance that was once prescribed in Spain by Rome, it rivaled the jota in popularity. A step so common in many dances is the waltz, such as that found in the Cariñosa, Sayaw Santa Isabel, etc. In that way, the blase proliferated in dances for religious feasts, wedding and other social occasions. Still others were the paseo and the pateado (from zapateado). (https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-3/subcommissions/subcommission-on-the-arts-sca/dance/philippine-dance-in-the-spanish-period/)

During the Spanish regime, dancing played an important part in the social activity of the people. Among the Christianized Filipino groups, the kuomintang was the oldest dance and song. It was pantomimed song and dance. The Pampangois another dance, characterized by the movements of the lion and clapping of the hands. These dances were set aside with the coming of the Spaniards, but were later revived as new dances such as the fandango, lanceros, rigodon, carinosa and curacha were introduced by the Spaniards. The folk dances of today were adaptations of the old native dances.

American Colonialism
Inevitably, the Americans’ entry into the country brought with it their cosmopolitan and commercial culture. Their Black-influenced music and dances appealed to the terpsichorean bent of the Filipinos. Already schooled in the zarzuela, they found fascination in the vaudeville (later called the stage-show) which is a mix of the theatrical, minstrel and circus acts that attracted both the elite and the masses. The cakewalk, buck-and-wing, skirt-dance, clog, tap and soft-shoe were performed in the zarzuela theaters, later with the cinema shows. Social dances also became part of the repertoire on stage, such as the Charleston, foxtrot, big apple, one-step, slow-drag, the Latin-influenced tango, rumba, samba, mambo and cha-cha. (https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-3/subcommissions/subcommission-on-the-arts-sca/dance/philippine-dance-in-the-american-period/)

With improved transportation, the Philippines became part of the big international circuit. Filipinos increasingly experienced the ballet. In 1901, the Lilliputians graced the Zorilla with “ballet girls”. The Japanese Infantile Company brought a “Japanese ballet” to Teatro Oriental. In 1902, the Baroufski Imperial Russian Circus advertised 25 “ballet beauties” in a “mammoth production.” (https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-3/subcommissions/subcommission-on-the-arts-sca/dance/philippine-dance-in-the-american-period/)

Dance influences
Another presentation of dances is through contrasting the influences of Southeast and mainland Asia with the influences of the Spanish and Americans.


 * Southeast Asian Influence
 * Mainland Asian Influence
 * Spanish Influences
 * American Influences

Time periods
The time period of each Filipino dance must also be taken into consideration. As culture is constantly evolving, dances often change along with the times. Philippine dances can be categorized in these time periods:


 * Pre-colonial
 * Spanish Colonial
 * American Period
 * Modern and Post-Modern

Contemporary outlook
As the popularity of Filipino Cultural Nights and the Folk Arts groups grow, so too does the need to create and recreate Philippine dance forms. Among these contemporary issues are the ideas of bringing the village dance into the stage, the connections among the various Philippine dances, the ownership of world-influence, and the dances of Filipinos from the diaspora.


 * From the Village to Stage
 * Interconnection of Philippine Dance
 * Filipinizing world influences
 * Dances from the Diaspora