Thursday, September 15, 2016

Dancing on the Endangered List: Aesthetics and Politics of Indigenous Dance in the Philippines

Dancing on the Endangered List: Aesthetics and Politics of Indigenous Dance in the Philippines
Multicultural cultural lives are in over seven thousand islands in Philippine. The Philippines archipelago is filled with dance. When Spanish came to practice their religion they brought Hispanic folk dance in their worship in community religious celebration. Although, during several centuries, slowly the tribal, folk traditional, and Hispanic dance became widely danced by Philippine dance, people or tribe living in the distant Island managed to keep their religious beliefs and way of life not to be influenced by colonists and missionaries (Foreman 384).
After being free from Spanish- American war and Japanese, Philippine dance group intend to entertain the American troops with African, Cuban and ballroom dance, Rock and roll in fifties, sixties through eighties western dance ballet and modern. Later, infused of ballet and modern dance with folk theme and styles. Philippine danced They also danced Warrior dance as a form of martial art which similar to fighting style in pairs with physical contact, striking and blocking techniques accompany by drums in social gathering, reunions, weddings, or festivals (Foreman 385).
When Indigenous resisted to government’s development of mining, logging, led to disruption of economic, social and religious practice. Some were forced to flee to save their lives and became refuges in their own country and were not able to return to their home. That is when the dance became new and drastically different created dance than folk dance. They used song and dance as their avenue to express their sorrow, healing ritual, death ceremony, harvest, celebration, and crises. Philippines were no longer in natural situation; therefore, it took tremendous efforts to live lives with inter-tribal community physically and psychologically to share human experiences, the history of Philippine (Forman 386-388).
For an example, some dance is being practiced with a small scarf (is wrapped over their shoulders while the body is erect, arms near their sides, wrists turned upward, pals open. While smiles of dancers given to the audience, they dance on beat, heels lightly pounding the ground in a small step (Foreman 386). Let us take look at how the dance, shall we?


FAOCT folk dancers "Kapiil Sa Munsala"


There are 7107 islands in Philippine and at least: Dances of Luzon, Dance: Idaw, Banga, Idudu, Ragsaksakan, Mindanao, Singkil, Kini Kini, Pangalay, Asik, and they are promoting their country by representing in LOVE OF LIFE AND COUNTRY - VISAYAS REGION dance, and more…

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