Sweet Suites

Cultural dances are a part of every Filipinos lives and have long been practiced here. For this blog post, I will be giving a brief overview about the different suites in filipino cultural dancing. 

Theres Maria Clara, Tribal, Rural/ Bario and Mountain. 

Maria Clara

The coming of the Spaniards in the 16th century brought a new influence in Philippine life. The dance, Maria Clara is named in honor of the legendary Maria Clara, who remains a symbol of the virtue and nobility of the Filipina woman. Maria Clara was the chief female character of Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere. Displaying a very strong Spanish influence, these dances were, nonetheless, "Filipinized" as evidence of the use of bamboo castanets and the abanico, or Asian fan. Typical attire for these dances are the formal Maria Clara dress and barong tagalog, an embroidered long-sleeve shirt made of pineapple fiber. To me, Maria Clara is a very "classy" suite. It protrays the spanish influences on the Philippines. It is of the upper class and has a very rich essence to it. I love these dances because the costumes are oh so elegant and very nice. When ever I dance Maria Clara, I feel like im a princess because of all the big dresses and tiaras we have to wear. 

Tribal

Pockets of cultural minorities live in the style of their forebearers in the hills and mountains throughout the Philippine Archipelago. The hillside and interior of Mindanao in the southern part of the Philippines are inhabited by non-Christian Filipino tribes whose culture and animistic beliefs predate both Islam and Christianity. Dance for them is a basic part of life, still performed essentially "for the gods." Their dances are nonetheless closely intertwined with ceremonials, rituals, sacrifice, and life. Tribal dances emphasize the connection the native people have with the earth.  The dances consist of heavy footing and movements close to the ground which makes up for the strength displayed through its rituals. It is a tradition that tribal dances are performed without a costume usually or just in what you see in the picture. Typically it is done naked, so when ever we perform tribal dances, we have to wear nude colored leotards, and the little kids giggle at themselves when we do.

Rural

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. Rural dances are filled with joy and laughter, which is why it is my favorite suite. As like Maria Clara, in Rural dances, it is required that you smile through out your performance. However, I feel like in Maria Clara, my smile is forced sometimes because I would get tired, but in Rural dances, you cant help but smile the whole time because of how much fun you are having. 

Mountain

The mountainous Central Cordillera region of Northern Luzon is also known by the term "Philippine Skyland." These tribes were generally unfazed by Spanish colonization. They hold common religious beliefs, generally nature-related, and make propitiatory offerings to anitos, or household gods. Among these people of the Cordillera, dance continues to be an expression of community life that animates the various rituals and ceremonies. They dance to appease their ancestors and gods to cure ailments, to insure successful war-mating activities, or to ward off bad luck or natural calamities. They dance to congregate and socialize, for general welfare and recreation, and as an outlet for repressed feeling. They also dance to insure bountiful harvests, favorable weather, and to mark milestones in the cycle of life. Mountain dances usually depict movements of birds like hawks and eagles in flight. I like doing these dances because it is an honor to perform them like rituals. It is amazing to me that because this region wasnt touched my spanish colonization, it is pure filipino and nothing else. You wont be able to see the techniques used in maria clara and you obviously wouldnt find those movements  in these mountain dances. 

Can you think of why these different regions have completely different types of dances?