Sunday, October 11, 2009

Color Carnival: Singkil, a Muslim Dance

A big part of our cultural heritage is a rich hodgepodge of dances. Mindanao, which is the third major island in the archipelago, and is home to the largest cultural minority in the country, the Muslims, is host to many of these captivating dances.

Their dances are famous for royalty and enchanting beauty.

Below are pictures of SINGKIL, a dance of the Maranao tribe, which originates from Lanao, Mindanao. There's this epic about a princess who was caught in an earthquake in the middle of the forest. The person behind her is her slave. The person holding an umbrella is a waiting lady. She is rescued by a prince after a long ordeal.

Singkil derives its name from the bells on her ankles. The criss-crossing bamboos represent the falling trees.

Dancers wear a solemn face and keep a dignified pose during the dance, and proceed from a slow to a faster tempo, as witnessed from the movements of the apir, or fans, which signify the winds. To this day, royal princesses in the Sulu Archipelago are required to learn this elegant and noble dance.








(photos courtesy of www.likha.org)

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24 comments:

  1. VPOctober 12, 2009 at 12:07 AM

    Interesting post, obviously I didn't know much about these beautiful traditions... Thank you for showing us these images.

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  2. Maria BergOctober 12, 2009 at 1:52 AM

    Lots of colors, the kitfest is also a lot of colors, MB

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  3. Icy BCOctober 12, 2009 at 4:15 AM

    That is interesting to know! Looks like something I would enjoy watching..

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  4. UnknownOctober 12, 2009 at 5:27 AM

    A wonderful story in dance! Ah!

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  5. Unseen RajasthanOctober 12, 2009 at 6:27 AM

    Beautiful dance !! Their dresses are lovely !! nice post..Unseen Rajasthan

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  6. JackieOctober 12, 2009 at 6:45 AM

    I am so glad I stumbled onto your site. I have learned some very interesting things this past week and I'm so enjoying getting to know more about the Filipino culture and you, Cherie.

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  7. kbearOctober 12, 2009 at 7:14 AM

    Wonderful post! Great photos and full of color too! I'm adding your blog to my list to follow. would love to learn more about you and your country.

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  8. rainfield61October 12, 2009 at 8:53 AM

    You are showing pictures that I used to see, in Malaysia, but you tell a better story than me.

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  9. LowellOctober 12, 2009 at 8:54 AM

    Beautiful dancers, beautiful costumes...looks to be very intricate and I can imagine would take a lot of training...

    Thanks for this insight into the culture!

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  10. Bill ~ {The Old Fart}October 12, 2009 at 11:53 AM

    Looking at the pictures you can see there is a bit of concentration on the part of the dancers. Thank you for stopping by my place earlier today, please stop by again when you can.

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  11. RicepattyOctober 12, 2009 at 3:03 PM

    These photos are beautiful. The dancers are so elegant and graceful. Thank you for sharing these with us.

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  12. SquirrelOctober 12, 2009 at 6:51 PM

    Very nice.

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  13. GeorgeOctober 12, 2009 at 8:41 PM

    Thanks for the beautiful pictures and interesting information.

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  14. Tammie LeeOctober 12, 2009 at 10:02 PM

    this looks so very beautiful
    thank you for sharing this.
    Spirithelpers

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  15. CherylOctober 13, 2009 at 5:04 AM

    Thanks for this beautiful lesson! So elegant and colorful. I thoroughly enjoyed this post. Thank you for leaving me such a nice comment. I will add you to my list of blogs! Take care.

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  16. Martha@A Sense of Humor is EssentialOctober 13, 2009 at 8:28 AM

    This is stunning, thanks for sharing. I so enjoy the Filipino culture and feel fortunate to have so much nearby in LA. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  17. CherieOctober 13, 2009 at 3:06 PM

    Thank you all so much for your lovely comments. I will continue to visit your sites and leave comments to your posts. Take care!

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  18. MarthaOctober 14, 2009 at 6:28 PM

    Beautiful! Thanks for sharing this for the Color Carnival this week! :-)

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  19. CherieOctober 15, 2009 at 1:06 AM

    you are welcome, martha! thanks for coming over!

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  20. Mary-LaureOctober 15, 2009 at 5:25 PM

    Amazing beauty. I'm an amateur ballerina so I am fascinated with all dance forms, especially such exquisite forms as this one. Thanks for showing us such a treasure.

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  21. IndayOctober 16, 2009 at 4:29 AM

    Lanao is where I grew up. And their dances is one that is highly acclaimed for their rich cultural heritage(Muslims). Their kind of dances alone is unmistakably elegant. Mindanao State University of Marawi City has its own Cultural Dance Troupe called Darangan reviving their legends and myths. Darangan is the name of the Princess you have spoken of.

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  22. UnknownOctober 17, 2009 at 10:06 AM

    I came back to visit this post. I love the colorful festivities.

    Have a blessed day! :-)

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  23. RNSANEOctober 20, 2009 at 12:04 PM

    What lovely photos and so interesting to learn about this dance. I suppose the princess must, indeed, be cognizant of the moving bamboo beneath her feet!!

    I so loved seeing the dancers in both Thailand and Bali, their exquisite movements and glorious dress. I wish I could have visited the Philippines as well!

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  24. UnknownAugust 11, 2010 at 7:39 PM

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    ReplyDelete

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