DECEMBER FIESTA 2003November 29-30 / Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Complex Boardwalk, ManilaCCP's holiday performances at the outdoor venues. Drum and lyre bands, choir, folkdance groups and community theater groups become the centerpiece for an artists' fair at the CCP Complex Boardwalk.
Step Of Bulaklakan Folk Dance
(pahn-DAHNG-goh sah EEH-lahw)This popular dance of grace and balance comes from LubangIsland, Mindoro in the Visayas region. The term pandanggocomes from the Spanish word fandango, which is a dancecharacterized by lively steps and clapping that varies in rhythm in3/4 time. This particular pandanggo involves the presence ofthree tinggoy, or oil lamps, balanced on the head and the back ofeach hand.
Bulaklakan(boo-lahk-LAHK-an)This dance is a dance of floral garlands, dedicated to the VirginMary during the Roman Catholic celebration of their holy week.It is performed widely during the month of early May.“Bulaklakan” refers to green orchids and other flowering plants.The town of Bulacan derived its name after bulaklakan becauseof the natural floral growth in that area.
Abaruray(ah-bah-ROOH-rahy)Abaruray is a contraction of the words Aba and Ruray. Aba isan exclamation which is equivalent to “Hey!” or “Hi!” in English.Ruray is a nickname for Aurora.In any social gathering in remote communities of the Philippines,it is the custom to offer wine to the visitors. The offering isusually made by a young lady, who goes around with a glass anda bottle of native wine, offering it to the visitors. The wineoffering is a signal for the beginning of folk dancing and singing.The girl who is offering the wine picks out a young man fromamong the guests and offers him a drink. This is her way ofhinting at her desire to dance with him. The young man has toaccept it or he commits a breach of ettiquette and the girl isoffended. His acceptance of the drink signifies that he will dancewith the girl.While they dance, the girl balances the glass of wine on her headfrom which the young man drinks. Her dancing ability is shown inher ability to keep the glass on her head and in not spilling a dropof the wine. The audience sings and claps their hands in time withthe music.
The dancers, who were of all ages, performed pieces that represent important parts of traditional Philippine culture. One folk dance, "Magtanim Hindi Biro," was inspired by the laborious task of planting rice. Another, "Mamang Sorbetero," paid homage to the well-loved ice cream man, who brings relief on a hot summer day in the Philippines.
Carol Dillon is from the Philippines and performed in a folk dance popular in the Quezon province, in which the women dance with umbrellas. Dillon's husband is American, and they are raising three children in Rocky Mount, including 6-year-old twins Cody and Zack. The twins took part in the rice-planting dance. Dillon said she is working on teaching her two sons Tagalog, a language that is spoken in some areas of the Philippines and which is the basis for the national language
After each encounter, Barkada members performed the dance that the characters agreed to teach. There were six dances in total, which included Pandanggo Sa Ilaw, a Spanish-influenced dance involving candles that mimic fireflies. Other dances included Maglalatik, which involved dancers clicking coconut shells together, and Tinikling, which involved dancers intricately stepping between moving bamboo rods. 2ff7e9595c
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