Filipino Dance - Tinikling and the candle dance

[arnisandyz]

Originally posted by bscastro [/However, one of my kali instructors told me that there were specific Moro "warrior" dances which were sort of like story telling dances which hid techniques within them. These were not the "folk" dances which we mentioned, but similar to Balinese warrior dances if anyone has seen those. If you haven't, they are very beautiful and interesting as well.
[/B]

I've heard of these, but the Fil-Am Dance troop in our area doesn't do it. I talked to them one time about it a couple years ago and we were going to help with some of the fight coreography under direction of someone that actually knows the play, but unfortunately nothing ever happened with it.

The way I heard it was that there weren't really "hidden" techniques, they were all out in the open, someone slashes someone counters etc. It was a play put on by the natives for the Spaniards retelling the war. I think the "hidden" part comes from the fact that the practioners were able to keep practicing Martial Arts after it was outlawed under Spanish rule by making it entertainment. Don't know how accurate this is, but this is what I was told.

 

[arnisandyz]

http://www.oovrag.com/~oov/essays/essay2002b-1.shtml

Here is a pretty good essay/personal account of a Filipina Cultural Dancer/ Choreographer who trained with Leo Giron's Bahala Na orginization and eventually got some of the members (including Antonio Somera) to work on the theatrical project. Wish I could have seen it.

 

[arnisandyz]

Originally posted by bscastro
there are a few other dances that have "similarities" to martial movements, including the maglalatik (the coconut dance).

Hi Brian,

Is this the dance where the dancers have half-shell coconuts strapped to various parts of the body and tap them in a certain order or am I thinking of something different?

Thanks

Andy

 

[krys]

The way I heard it was that there weren't really "hidden" techniques, they were all out in the open, someone slashes someone counters etc. It was a play put on by the natives for the Spaniards retelling the war. I think the "hidden" part comes from the fact that the practioners were able to keep practicing Martial Arts after it was outlawed under Spanish rule by making it entertainment. Don't know how accurate this is, but this is what I was told.

There are hidden movements in many of the muslim filipino dances.... actually some of the filipino silat juruhs I've learned have these same movements, what seems sometimes flowery can have very interesting martial art applications....

 

[bscastro]

Is this the dance where the dancers have half-shell coconuts strapped to various parts of the body and tap them in a certain order or am I thinking of something different?

Yes it is. Some people say it resembles parrying movements and that the spots that are tapped are choke points on the body, but I think it is just a coincidence in this case. The movements are graceful and rhythmic, so they resembly FMA, but at least in this case, I think the similarity is more because of the mechanics of the body as opposed to a secret way to hide martial movements.

Bryan

 

[arnisandyz]

Originally posted by bscastro
Yes it is. Some people say it resembles parrying movements and that the spots that are tapped are choke points on the body, but I think it is just a coincidence in this case. The movements are graceful and rhythmic, so they resembly FMA, but at least in this case, I think the similarity is more because of the mechanics of the body as opposed to a secret way to hide martial movements.

Bryan

I've seen this dance only once. It had a very fluid and weaving hand motion to it, it looked very similar to siniwali to me.

 

[Rich Parsons]

Originally posted by Rich Parsons
I have just received a Flyer for a Seminar with Janet Aalfs & Janice Totty for Saturday 17th of January from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM at the Mejishi Martial Arts School located at : 247 Nine Mile Road Ferndale Mi 48220 (* Parking in the back *)

Contact Jaye Spiro at [email protected]

Ms. Aalfs is a 4th Degree in Modern Arnis under the Late GM Remy Presas, and Janice Totty is a student of the Tinikling Dance.

I am not sure how much time will be dedicated to which, or if it is just a demonstration of the Dance?

I gave a quick write up Here