Philippines Dance

Pangalay (also known as Daling-Daling or Mengalai in Sabah) in is the traditional "fingernail" dance of the Tausūg people of the Sulu Archipelago and Sabah. This dance is the most distinctively Asian of all the Southern Philippine dances because dancers must have dexterity and flexibility of the shoulders, elbows, and wrists -- movements that strongly resemble those of "kontaw silat," a martial art common in the Malay Archipelago. The Pangalay is performed mainly during weddings or other festive events. The male equivalent of the Pangalay is the Pangasikand features more martial movements, while a pangalay that features both a male and female dancer is called Pangiluk.

The original concept of the Pangalay is based on the pre-Islamic Buddhist concept of male and female celestial angels (Sanskrit: Vidhyadhari, Bahasa Sūg: Biddadari) common as characters in other Southeast Asian dances.

Neighboring Samal and Bajau peoples call this type of dance, Umaral or Igal, and they sometimes use bamboo castanets as substitutes for long fingernails.

A modern variant of this dance popular among the peoples of Mindanao, Sulu and Sabah is called Pakiring, and emphasizes movement of the hips (kiring-kiring) more than the traditional dance. It is performed to electro versions of traditional songs and is fast overtaking the traditional Pangalay in popularity at weddings.

POLKA

The polka, considered as the national dance of Bohemia(Czechoslovakia), was among the first dances introduced by the early European immigrants to the Philippines and by Filipinos who had been to Europe. It was popularized in the Islands not later than 1859. It was usually performed as a ballroom dance during fiestas or grand social affairs. The basic dance step of the polka is executed to a duple meter with a step-close-step pattern following the one-and-two rhythm. Other polka steps used in the dance are the heel-and-toe polka, the hop polka, the gallop, chasing steps, and the hop step. Every locality would have its own version, but the basic steps, the plain polka, and the hee-and-toe polka were always included.

The Quezon polka is performed in sets of four pairs in square formation. In Bataan the dance is called polka tagala. In one figure of the dance, the ladies kick their voluminous skirts forward and backward to show off their beautiful lace petticoats. In Batangas, the dance was called polka sa nayon, while in Mindoro it was known as polka sala. Among the Visayans, the dance was called polka antigo, and in Negros Occidental polka italiana.

In Ilocos Norte, there is a courtship dance called sileledaang, which means laden with sorrow. Interestingly, the dancers here show their fondness for each other using the basic polka step to a tempo.

The maliket-a-polka is another version of this dance form. Maliket in Pangasinan means happy therefore, happy polka. This is danced during fiestas in honor of the Santo Niño, patron saint of a barrio of Pangasinan. When the dance is per as a ballroom dance during fiestas or grand social affairs. The basic dance step of the polka is executed to a duple meter with a step-close-step pattern following the one-and-two rhythm. Other polka steps used in the dance are the heel-and-toe polka, the hop polka, the gallop, chasing steps, and the hop step. Every locality would have its own version, but the basic steps, the plain polka, and the hee-and-toe polka were always included.

The Quezon polka is performed in sets of four pairs in square formation. In Bataan the dance is called polka tagala. In one figure of the dance, the ladies kick their voluminous skirts forward and backward to show off their beautiful lace petticoats. In Batangas, the dance was called polka sa nayon, while in Mindoro it was known as polka sala. Among the Visayans, the dance was called polka antigo, and in Negros Occidental polka italiana.

In Ilocos Norte, there is a courtship dance called sileledaang, which means laden with sorrow. Interestingly, the dancers here show their fondness for each other using the basic polka step to a tempo.

The maliket-a-polka is another version of this dance form. Maliket in Pangasinan means happy therefore, happy polka. This is danced during fiestas in honor of the Santo Niño, patron saint of a barrio of Pangasinan. When the dance is performed today for the stage, the balintawak with tapis and soft pañuelodraped over the left shoulder is used by the girls while the camisa de chino and any pair of olored trousers are used by the males.