What is Bayanihan?
Bayanihan is our Filipino Cultural Night, and one of the most important events of the school year. The night features a traditional Filipino feast and cultural performance. The word "Bayanihan" refers to the spirit of community members volunteering to move a house with bamboo sticks to escape flood waters -- the idea of an individual and the community working together. Last year, Bayanihan was held for the first time in the Leo O'Donovan Dining Hall to a nearly sold-out audience of family, friends, alumni, and guests from the local Filipino community. The event was met with great success and was featured as SAC's Event of The Month. All members are strongly encouraged to participate in Bayanihan in one way or another -- whether on or off the stage. Plans are already in the works for this year's Bayanihan, which promises to be even bigger and better than before. Stay tuned for more information on how you can get involved!
For more information, contact Jacquey Julio, our Performace Coordinator!
Dance Descriptions (Bayanihan, Spring 2008)
Dugso
Wearing colorful feathered head dresses, plaid costumes and anklets, Dugos performers step rhythmically around a bamboo arch decorated with newly-gathered palay (rice stalks) and corn, their movements emphasized by the tinkling sounds from the anklets. It was originally thought this dance was performed only during harvest time or upon the birth of a male heir.
Tinikling
Originating in Leyte as an imitation of the legendarily fast and graceful movements of the tikling birds as they dodged bamboo traps set by rice farmers, Tinikling consists of at least one pair of people hitting two bamboo poles on the ground, raising them slightly, then clapping the poles against each other near the ground with a rhythm. Meanwhile, at least one dancer hops over and around the clashing poles in a manner not unlike jump roping.
Jota
The dance is an adaptation of the Castilian Jota where dancers use bamboo castanets and clack them to provide music. The costumes are inspired by Spanish culture.
Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8JSO_lKl3U to see why you should sign up for Jota.
Pukol (A description of Pukol would be much appreciated)
Under Construction
Subli
The word sublian comes from the word subsub which means falling head on and bali which means broken. The word describes the dancers who pretend to be lame and crooked throughout the dance as a sign of worship to the town's Church icon, the Holy Cross during its fiesta celebration.
Singkil
Also known as the Princess Dance or the Royal Maranao Fan Dance, the dance is based on the Maranao interpretation of the ancient Indian epic, the Ramayana: the Darangen. The Singkil narrates a scene in which Sita (Putri Gandingan) escapes her abductor, the demon king Ravana and is lost in the forests of Alangka, thereupon being found by her husband, Prince Rama. Interesting to note is that in the original Ramayana epic, Rama selects Hanuman, the Hindu monkey-god, to find Sita on his behalf; the fact that in the Singkil it is Rama (Rajah Bantugan) who finds her suggests a modification of the original Hindu narration in order to agree with monotheistic Islamic ideology.
Kasingkil refers to the art of moving one’s feet in and out of two clicking bamboo poles in imitation of Putri Gandingan who gracefully avoided the falling trees brought about by an earthquake.
Performers would therefore gracefully step in and out of bamboo poles, arranged in crisscross fashion while manipulating either fans or simply their bare hands.Played at celebrations and festivals, traditionally the dance was performed by a girl of royal blood intend on advertising herself to would-be-suitors for her future marriage.
The dance is said to have been named after either the leg bracelets or anklets of silver, nickel or brass with chiming bells of the same name or the act of voluntarily or accidentally entangling on one’s feet in either vines or tall grass.
Kalatong
This dance is named after the three-foot bamboo implement suspended around the neck or waist. It is beaten in fast rhythm to bring good luck and to drive away evil spirits.
Visit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh3wl_CZ3PY to see what Kalatong looks like.
Sakuting
A dance of the Ilokano Christians and non-Christians from the province of Abra, Sakuting was originally performed by boys only. It portrays a mock fight using sticks to train for combat. The stacatto-inflected music suggests a strong Chinese influence. The dance is customarily performed during Christmas at the town plaza, or from the house-to-house.
Maglalatik
The Maglalatik is a four part war dance telling a story between a battle between the Muslims and the Christians (completely removing the native people from their own story). Instead of being armed with sticks, the dancers wear a harness of coconut shells on their hands, chest, back, hips, and thighs. The dancers are split into opposing tribes that battle each other by slapping the coconuts on themselves and other dancers. The first half of the dance depicts the preparation and the battle itself. The second half depicts the reconciliation and baptism of the Muslims who technically won the battle.
