FILIPINO ROYAL DANCE

I have actually been interacting with my fellow exchange students about a lot of things, from politics to economics, from academics to social life, from language to culture, so on and so forth, since I arrived here at Ole Miss. We tackled pretty much everything under the sun. But I guess I haven't told them yet about a certain cultural tradition of ours that we Filipinos consider as a pride. I said "pride" because it is purely Filipino, unlike the other cultural traditions in the Philippines that still carry the influence of our colonizers in the past. I consider it as a world-class dance because of its elegance in costumes, gracefulness in choreography and meaningfulness in background story. I may sound exaggerating but to tell you frankly, when I first watched it, I was dumbfounded. This cultural tradition that I am talking about is the only Filipino Royal Dance called SINGKIL.

Coming from the Lake Lanao region in the Philippines, the Singkil is a popular dance performed during celebrations and other festive entertainment. Performed as a female only dance, the Singkil serves as either a conscious or unconscious advertisement to would-be suitors for her future marriage. The ladies graciously step in and out of clashing bamboo poles arranged in either a parallel, rectangular, or criss-cross fashion while manipulating either apir (fans), mosala (scarves), or even just their bare hands. Singkil means to entangle the feet with disturbing objects such as vines or anything in your path. It takes its name from the epic tale that the Meranaw people (one of the Filipino Muslim tribes) trace the origin of their culture. It goes as follows:



In the land of Bembaran lived a brave and handsome hero prince named Paramata Bantogen. He would often leave Bembaran in search of beautiful princesses from far off lands, thus leaving Bembaran vulnerable with its most bravest warrior absent. This would make the diwatas, the guardian spirits of Bembaran, very angry. In an attempt to get Bantogen to stay, the diwatas kidnapped Princess Gandingan, a local princess with bewitching beauty whom Prince Bantogen had not yet seen. The diwatas then placed the princess in an isolated forest where Bantogen would pass on his way to the lands of his favorite ladies. As he passed through this forest, the diwatas caused in earthquake. In her freight, Princess Gandingan began to run for safety. Despite the fierce earthquake causing boulders to fall and all of nature to shake, Princess Gandingan gracefully stepped, hopped, jumped, and hurdled the little rocks and swiftly passed through the trembling trees. The valiant prince saw the frightened princess, chased her, and led her to safety. Soon after, the earthquake stopped, leaving Prince Bantogen to admire the charming and beautiful princess and forget the beauties of other lands. Thus, Singkil mimics the trials and gracefulness of the legendary Princess Gandingan as she avoided entangling her feet in the cursed forest.




There you have it! I chose this cultural dance because I would like my fellow exchange students and others to see the colorful side of the Philippines, that it is not just about natives , islands and islets. I know that others don't have much yet idea about what Philippines really is; some may already have some sort of stereotypes even before they actually met me. By telling them about this cultural dance that I am proud of, I think I am giving them the impression that I love my country and I am proud to be a Filipino. And that's what I want them to feel about me. I am here to be an effective ambassador of and for my country.