The Imbajah is an Ifugao festival dance performed to ensure bountiful harvests and community well-being. The dance features separate choreography for boys and girls, who perform in parallel columns. Costumes distinguish social class and gender, with elaborate headpieces and accessories. Basic steps include creeping toes, step-stamps, and hops. Gestures like closed and open arm positions are accompanied by gongs and drums. The choreographed sequence has the boys and girls enter separately and circle each other before interweaving figures and formations until their exit.

1. IMBAJAH

3. Introduction
• Ifugao myth recounts that Kabunyan, the
creator and supreme god made man to
be virile and strong, the same qualities
displayed by men as they spread their
arms to imitate the sakpaya (hawk) as it
glides and swoops over the rice terraces.

4. • The stamping of the feet on the hard
ground as they dance, affirms the Ifugao
people’s affinity to the earth, hence their
name Ifugaw, the “people of the earth”

5. Etymology
• Meaning of Title
• Imbajah (also called Bumayah) is a
name of an Ifugao festival held to
propitiate gods to watch over the crops
and insure a bountiful harvest or to mark
birth of a male child, success in warfare,
death of a prominent villager and general
well-being of the community.

7. Dance Properties
• Dance Culture – Highland Traditionalist
• Place of Origin – Banaue, Province of
Ifugao
• Ethnolinguistic Group – Ifugao-Banaue
• Classification - Festival

9. • Music – Ganza (flat gongs) and libbit
(drum)
• Time Signature – 2/4 and 4/4
• Props - none
• Mood - Jovial
• Stance - Erect
• Performers – column of boys and column
of girls

10. • Costumes
• G :
• Lamma – white sleeveless blouse with red
trimmings
• Tolge – striped wrap skirt (predominantly red
for the upper class and predominantly dark for
the lower class)
• Botong – cloth belt with side pompoms
• Headdress of round frame wrapped with red
cloth and strips of bamboo tipped with white
feathers (strung beads for the lower class)

11. • B:
• Wanoh – red and dark blue striped G-string
• Gamong – blanket sash draped on one
shoulder
• Ginuttu – carabao bone belt
• Pinukla – tasseled side bag tucked to the side
of the G-string
• Kango – bamboo or rattan headdress adorned
with hornbill skull and feathers
• Pangalapang – mother-of-pearl necklace

13. • Basic Steps
• G:
• Creeping Toes
• Step Stamp (Step Close with a stamp)
• B:
• Step hop
• Hop Spring
• Heavy running steps

14. • Gestures
• Closed Payadon (arms in 5th)
• Open Payadon (arms in 2nd)
• Wek-wek position (R arms extended swd R, L
arm flexed with hand close to the L side of
cheek or neck)

16. Choreographed Sequence
• Boys’ Entrance
• Fig 1 (16M)
• Step hops R and L alternately; arms in
closed payadon; kneel on R at last M
• Girls’ Entrance
• Fig 2 (16M)
• Heavy walking steps to places; arms slightly
flexed at sides with closed fists

17. • Fig 3 (16M) CW Circle, G leading followed by B
• G: Heavy walking ; arms in closed payadon,
flipped per M
• (B step hops R and L alternately; closed
payadon but no flipping)

18. • Fig 4 (16M)
• 8M – G: with R shoulder facing the center,
lean toward R, bring both arms to swd R and
gradually move the L arms to swd L, open
payadon, flip on 4th M; Lean to swd L; bring R
arm swd L and gradually move it to swd R; flip
on 4th M
• (B : slightly flexed arms down at sides, flap
them 2X per M; Lean R and L)

19. • Continued:
• 4M – 4 step hops R and L moving in (G);
moving out (B);
• 4m - 4 step hops R and L moving out (G);
moving in (B)

20. • Fig 5 (16M) step hops R and L move to two
column formation
• Fig 6 (16M)
• 4M – step close R and L 2X; wek-wek; R about
• 4M – repeat
• 8M - repeat

21. • Fig 7 (16M) moving to line formation, G line front
• G : 8M - Creeping toes R
• 8M – Creeping toes L
• (B - step hops ; closed payadon)
• Fig 8 (16M)
• G : Touch R and L; hand flips
• (B – hop spring L move CW around G; hop spring
R, move CCW around G)

22. • Fig 9 (16M)
• Repeat step close with stamp; wek-wek
• Fig 10 (16M)
• Step hops R and L alternately, move in CW circle
• Exit Figure (12M)
• G step hops (B jumps)