There are three major classifications of Philippine folk dances: 1. Tribal dances from the Cordillera mountains 2. Lowland Christian dances with Western influences from areas like Tagalog, Ilocano, Pampango, etc. 3. Muslim dances from areas in the Southern Philippines with Arabic and Malay influences. Philippine folk dances can also be categorized according to their purpose, such as life cycle dances for courtship, wedding, and funerals or dances for religious and seasonal celebrations and depictions of occupations.

7. THREE (3) MAJOR
REGIONAL
CLASSIFICA
TIONS
OF
PHILIPPINE FOLK

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9. Include non-Christian
dances from the
Cordilleras.

10. Dancescomingfromplaceswith
Westerninfluencessuchasthatofthe
T
agalogs,Ilokanos,Pampagueños,
Pangasinense,Bisayans,andBicolanas.
Thesedancesareinfluencedby
HispanicandEuropeancultures.

11. Dancesfromthepeopleofthe
SouthernIslandsofthe
Philippinessucha
sinMindanao
andSulu.Thesedancesare
influencedbyArabicandIndo-
Malayancultures.

12. Philippine folk
dances, regardless
of their
classifications, may
also be categorized

13. Dances that serve as ritual as
onepassestoadifferentstage in
life such as from birth to
childhood ; from singlehood to
marriage;andfromlifeto death.

14. Below are the
different dancesthat
portraylifecycle:
 Courtshipdances
 Weddingdances
 Funeraldances

15. Dances that are either
religious or secular and are
connected with the
celebration of recurring
eventsofspecialsignificance.

16. Dancesthatdepictthemeansoflivelihood of
the Filipino people. Palay festival, a national
danceinrice-growingregions,isan example
of an occupational dance wherein dancers
portraydifferentstepsinrice growing– from
planting to harvesting to threshing, flailing,
pounding, airing and winnowing (Aquino,
1979).

17. Dancesperformed a
spart
of the rituals and ceremonies
of a certain tribe or group of
people.

18. local folk
Derivations from
games. One example of these
dances is the Pukol dance from
Aklan and Capiz in the Panay
region. Pukol means “to strik
e or
bumpeachother”(Aquino,1979).

19. Include jok
esor tricksplayed by
a dancer or another or group of
dancers who is one of them. The
intention isto render that individual
“to aphysicalor mentalindignity or
discomfort”(Lopez2006).

20. Example of these is the Pandanggo
Sambalilo dance from the T
agalog
regionswhereinagirlteasesher male
partner by playing with his hat then
pushes him when he is about to
succeed in getting bac
k on his hat
fromthefloor
.

21. Dances that mimic animals,
inanimate objects, or other people. The
dancers get into roles other than
themselves and become actors totally
immersed in the story the dances tell.
The Itik-Itik dance from Surigao is an
exampleof amimeticdanceasitimitates
themovementsofaduck.

22. Dances that e
xpress feud and enmity
wherein two male dancers engage in
physicalcombatwithSpartan-like intensity
(Lopez, 2006). Maglalatik (Biñan, Laguna)
isanexampleofawardancea
s thisdepicts
a battle between Muslims of Southern
Philippines and the Christian Filipinos of
thelowlandsoverlatik (the

23. residueaftercoconutboils down).
Inthisdance,theMuslim andthe
Christians sought conciliation in
order to convert the Muslim
Moros to Christianity (Aquino,
1979).

24. Dances that e
xpress social
graces, hospitality
, and offerings of
gifts to friends. All social ballroom
dances and most of the “Filipinized”
Western dances that sho
w
camaraderie merriment belong to
thisgroup(Lopez,2006).

25. Examples are Minuete Yano (Iriga,
Camarines Sur), Alay (T
agalog regions), and
Habanera Botoleña (Botolan, Zambales)
dances. Minuete Y
ano, for instance, is
performed by people from high social
standing in the community during special
occasionshonoring high government officials
andchurchdignitaries(Aquino, 1979).