The people of Cordillera is known for its rich culture and tradition, and the Lumagen dance is one product of its culture that helps make Cordillera what it is right now. The name Cordillera is a name that is rich in history too. This was the name that was given by the Spanish Conquistadores when they first saw the mountain ranges in the area. In their dialect, the term Cordillera means ‘knotted rope’ and the mountain ranges of the area appear a twisted and knotted rope from afar.

Geographically and politically the Cordillera where the Lumagen dance can be traced is the only land-locked region in the country and this region host the provinces of Abra, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province and Apayao.

The city of Baguio is considered as the administrative center of the region. The region is home to the Cordillera Central mountain range and more importantly the region is home to many indigenous tribes called the Igorot which is the source of their rich culture and many dances like the Lumagen dance.

The Igorot is just one of the many tribes that contribute to the culture of the region which can be seen in its songs and dances and the other tribes in the region are:

. Bontoc
. Ifugao
. Benguet
. Kalinga

These are the tribes that reign over the region and the dance of Lumagen is from the Kalinga. These tribes want to be labeled by their own tribal names and don’t frequently want to be called by the collective term called ‘Igorot’. These tribes are known to resist the moves of the Spanish colonizers and if the other people in the lowlands was under the culture of colonizers, these tribes protected their common socio-cultural traits. These tribes hold common religious beliefs and these beliefs are often nature-oriented.

Dances of the Cordillera as expression of their beliefs

Among the many aspects of the culture of these many tribes, dance is considered as the most popular expression of their beliefs. Dances continue to be the major expression of the community life that can animate their many rituals and ceremonies. Dances for these clans are self-edification for them and a form of entertainment for these who watch these dances. There are many other roles for their dances too.

They dance in order to appease their ancestors and to pay tributes to their ancestors. They also dance in for their gods in order to cure their ailments and they also dance in order to insure the success of war activities and they also dance in order to ward off bad luck and to pray that natural calamities may not do harm to their source of living and their everyday life. Dance is a form of socialization also for these tribes like the Kalinga and they frequently assemble in order for them to express their feelings.

Lumagen is a dance performed during thanksgiving

And since agriculture is their main source of livelihood, some of their dances too are linked to agriculture- from planting to harvesting. There will be dances that will indicate that it is the beginning of the planting season, and there are tribal dance that are executed during harvesting. These dances are called thanksgiving dances and one example of these dances is the Lumagen dance from the Kalinga culture. The dance from a locale called Lumagen is truly a traditional dance that is performed frequently at Kalinga festivals as a way to rejoice Thanksgiving in time of good harvest. The dance is also performed during these events:

. Thanksgiving for a newborn child in the family
. Victories in battle
. Celebration of marriage

This dance is considered as one of the most difficult dance to perform among the many dances in Cordillera. It can be also said that this can be one of the hardest dances to perform from among the lots of Philippine dances.

Though this dance is difficult to perform due to the strenuous dance steps, still its high level of energy and the creativity involved in dancing the Lumagen makes this dance from the Kalinga one of the most entertaining to watch. There are times too when the Lumagen dance is performed in some festivals in the region and during special regional occasions.

If an expert is to name one of the most beautiful and difficult to learn Philippine dances, then ‘Singkil‘ will be high up on the list. This dance also called, as the ‘Sayao sa Kasingkil’, which is a famous Philippine dance in the south, more particularly in Mindanao region. This is a dance of the Maguindanao people and was popularized too by the Maranao from the Lake Lanao. This Philippine dance has gained an important and a critical following in urban areas since this dance was popularized by the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company.

There are a number of stories about the history and the evolution of the Singkil dance. And since this dance is a dance of style, creativity a lot of people pay attention to the evolution of the dance. Legend tells that the ‘Singkil’ dance that people now know today originated from the day the ‘diwatas’ or the nymphs has played the joke on then Princess Gandingan as the princess was taking a walk down the woods.

Based on stories, the diwatas causes an earthquake that made the trees shake and made the rocks to roll and to bang at each other. It was stated that the princess was not affected by it all as she skipped the rocks nimbly and no trees nor rocks touched her feet. The latest literature regarding the dance tells that this dance is also identified as the Royal Maranao Fan Dance or the Princess Dance. And this dance is also based on the ‘Darangen’ which in turn is an interpretation of the ancient Indian epic called the Ramayana. The dance steps of this famous Philippine dance will narrate the scene where ‘Sita’, the Putri Gandiangan escapes her abductors the demon King Ravana and she is lost in the forests of the Alangka. It was here when ‘Sita’ was found by her husband, Prince Rama.

There is a different set of literature that says that the Singkil dance is derived from the name of the bells that are put on the ankles of the Muslim princess. These bracelets or anklets that are worn in that area are usually made of

. Silver

. Nickel or

. Brass

And the movement of these metals will create that chiming bells. As it was narrated earlier on, the dance was inspired by the epic legend that tells the story of the ‘Darangan’ of the Maranao people. In the 14th century, this epic was written, which tells the story of the Princess Gandingan who was in the heart of the forest when the earthquake made by the nymphs occured. It was said that the rhythmic clapping and the criss-crossing of the bamboo poles which can be observed in the dance represents the trees that are falling in which the princess gracefully avoids. In the dance that roughly follows the said epic; the princess is accompanied by her slave throughout the ordeal. The princess is saved by his prince in the end.

The dance has become popular in modern times since this dance is being performed during cultural nights or during the ‘Linggo ng Wika’ a celebration of the Filipino language. And during these celebrations, the ‘Singkil‘ will always be one of those that generates some of the loudest appreciation.

When you talk of Philippine folk dances that help shape the Filipino culture and identity, then one dance that will always be there on top of the heap is the Tinikling. This dance is an important part of the Filipino culture and others are saying that this dance is the national dance of the country. The dance has that native and Hispanic roots and well thought-out to be one of the oldest in the country. The dance has a rich history and everything about the dance has a story to tell- from the name of the dance to the legend how the dance has evolved.

The first time audience of this dance will observe that the dance will involve the movements that will require the dancers to avoid being hit by the moving bamboos. Actually there is a more compelling story and movements to it than that. This dance of the country imitates the movement of the tikling birds as these birds move and walk in between the grass stems, run over the tree branches or as these birds avoids bamboo traps. In this dance, the dancers imitate the fast and the graceful movement of these birds as these birds dodges the many hurdles they faced along the way and dancers do that by avoiding the bamboo poles. Simply put, the name tinikling just means bamboo dance in the English language.

According to some scholars and observers, this dance is from the Visayas region or more specifically from the islands of Leyte. The people in this province has described the movement in this dance as the movements of the tikling birds, thus that is how the name of the dance has evolved. There have been a number of stories that tell the origins of the dance, and this lore has been passed on for generations.

One story says that the dance was started by the people who worked on the rice fields in the provinces. It was the time when the Spaniards first set foot in the islands and the natives were sent to the haciendas. This was the period when the locals lost control of their lands because they are under the so-called encomienda system. Now, the people who worked slowly in the haciendas are often sent to the paddies for some form of punishment. And their punishment is to stand in between the two bamboo poles, and these two bamboo poles are clapped to hit the person’s feet. And the locals will hop as the two bamboos clapped each other in order to avoid the ache. This kind of penalty then has done more hurt than good since the locals will maintain some bruises and they cannot work fast enough.

And the tale has evolved, saying that the penalty has changed into the dance that people at present recognize as the Tinikling. And when this is danced the music that can be heard is the plucked strings in the Iberian-influence staccato that is interspersed with the tremolos and this music will be kept in time with the double stepping sway balances. And since this dance requires the avoidance of being hit by two moving bamboo poles, this dance has become an art and a dance.

This Tinikling dance is known for its five steps:

. First four steps will require the dancers to dance opposite each other.

. And the last step for the dance will call for the dancers to start from the same side of the poles.

The bamboo used in the dance is also used as the percussive instrument and this material is then banged to the ground in order to make a pattern of music. And when the bamboo closes then this should be hard enough so that it will make some sound and the dancers should be quick enough to avoid being hit by the two approaching bamboos.

And as the dance continues, the banging of the bamboo materials gets even harder and faster and the sound of the bamboos hitting each other thrills the crowd and motivates the crowd to move harder and faster. By tradition, this dance is performed in the country in certain Sundays. But right now, the Tinikling is no longer a punishment but a graceful ritual called dance.