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)

24 comments:

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

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

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

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

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  5. 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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  6. 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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  7. You are showing pictures that I used to see, in Malaysia, but you tell a better story than me.

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  8. 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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  9. 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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  10. These photos are beautiful. The dancers are so elegant and graceful. Thank you for sharing these with us.

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  11. Thanks for the beautiful pictures and interesting information.

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

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  13. 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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  14. 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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  15. 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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  16. Beautiful! Thanks for sharing this for the Color Carnival this week! :-)

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  17. you are welcome, martha! thanks for coming over!

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  18. 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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  19. 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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  20. I came back to visit this post. I love the colorful festivities.

    Have a blessed day! :-)

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  21. 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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