Singkil (3'32) Dance from Lanao del Sur, Mindanao MIDI sequenced by Noel Tamayo

SINGKIL, a dance originating from Lanao del Sur, Mindanao is said to be a dance of Muslim royalty. To the rythmic clapping of bamboo poles, the dancers weave expertly through crisscrossed bamboos, the ladies dressed in elegant Muslim costumes waving great big fans, the men flipping brightly colored handkerchiefs right and left. The dancers wearing solemn faces and maintaining a dignified pose being dancing at a slow pace which soon progresses to a faster tempo. Legend has it that SINGKIL originated from the day the diwatas(some from of nymph or fairy)played a joke on Princess Gandingan as she was taking a walk in the woods. The diwatas caused an eathquake that made the trees tremble and the rocks to roll and knock against each other. Nothing daunted, Princess Gandingan skipped nimbly from place to place and no tree or rock ever touched her tiny feet. There are many versions of SINGKIL. When performed by ladies of the royalty of Lanao, the dancer is usually accompanied by a waiting lady, who holds a beautifully decorated umbrella over the Princess' head wherever she goes. The dance has no definite number of steps or figures.Even the arm movements are improvised and executed according to the mood and skill of the dancers. Quoted from FOLK DANCES volume 5, Francisca Reyes Aquino, 1983 Photograph: courtesy of The Folklorico Filipino Dance Company MIDI data : courtesy of Noel's Pilipino Folk Dance Glossary

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