PE GROU

PHILIPPINE DANCE EDUCATION

About the Author:

Basilio Esteban S. Villaruz is a former English instructor at the University of the
Philippines who danced with Modern Dance Company (now Ballet
Philippines), Hari Raya Ballet Company, involving himself much later with Dance
Theater Philippines as its ballet master, choreographer and then artistic
director. His recent choreographic works include: “Ritual Bonds”, “Oriental
Fantasy”, “Ay Kalisud” (1990); and “Spiritual Canticle: An Eclogue-Operatorio”
(1991). He is the Artistic Director of the University of the Philippines Dance
Company.

HISTORY OF PHILIPPINE DANCE EDUCATION

Dance Education involves the teaching of tradition, technique, style and the methodologies of
teaching dance itself.

Tradition is taught in and out of school, in academic disciplines and in social practices or
customs.  The school teaches formally with syllabi and systems while the society teaches in communal
activities, from rites to games, from work to celebrations.  Both serve to perpetuate tradition, by both
how's (from steps to dressing up) and why’s (for causes of men and of gods). Schools can codify folk
dancing, while society can continue to change this in real-life circumstance.  Tradition may not be static
but evolve according to the environment and beliefs of a people.

PHILIPPINE DANCE EDUCATION

Out of the village where rituals like the  ati-atihan in Aklan, the sinulog in Cebu,
the  pagdiwata in Palawan and buklog in Zamboanga, and other festivities like weddings, child-blessings,
death commemorations and many Christian and non-Christian feasts, folk dance has also been
increasingly formalized in schools, seminars and workshops.  When Francisca Reyes Aquino did her
research in Philippine folk dances, she also introduced these into the physical education courses and
safe-guarded them through dance clinics and the establishment of the Philippine Folk Dance Society. 
Practices were codified into steps, figures, directions and musical arrangements.   To the present day, it
is the physical education departments that are the main guardians of these folk dances, documentations
of which have been expanded by further researches, theses, books, musical recordings and video-films. 
To a limited extent, these P.E. departments have also introduced ballet and modern dance courses, but
these are mainly confined to metropolitan centers.

Technique is generally taught in school, which in Asia may be built around a village teacher or
guru.  Skill is honed to conform to established ways of moving and motivating.  In ballet and now-
traditional modern dance forms, e.g., of Martha Graham or Jose Limon, this skill is strictly codified and
monitored.  Progression is patterned in time so that virtuosity or expressiveness may be achieved at the
optimum.  Both ballet and folk dance may proceed from centuries-old practice and performance,
although folk dance may have the leeway of allowing a greater number of persons to participate,
depending on its classical mold, expected agility or participatory purpose.

       Style is very much a refinement of technique and interpretation.  It is both a consciousness of
tradition’s perfection and nuances, and a personal style that can positively enhance or promote that
very tradition.  It is both past and present, favorably seen in a performance.   Style is both taught and
intuited, both a study and a gift.

Studio type of schools mainly teach ballet and, in some, like the Cultural Center of the
Philippines Dance School, modern dance.  Russian and English teachers initiated these schools, the most
significant of which was Luva Adameit’s Cosmopolitan  Ballet and Dancing School   from where
subsequent serious teachers came from, among them Remedios de Oteyza, Leonor Orosa Goquingco,
Rosalia Merino Santos, etc.  Other notable ones were Anita Kane, Ricardo and Roberta Cassell who again
developed career teachers like Felicitas Layag Radaic, Fe Sala Villarica, Eddie Elejar and Benjamin
Villanueva Reyes.  Ideally ballet training lasts from eight to ten years from ages eight or ten to finish at
sixteen or eighteen.  Various international schools of thought may prevail; lately there has been
developed a Philippine ballet syllabus.  In professional dancing, learning continues  through much of a
dancer’s career.

Although studied at a later age, the same happens in modern dance which began with individual
artist’s motivation and mode of motion, like that of Mary Wigman, Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey,
Merce Cunningham, etc.  Today, modern dance may be taught in a more mixed mode, including some
ballet technique.  Jazz and other forms of vernacular dance be incorporated, or taught on their own. 
Early Philippine pioneers were Kaethe Hauser, Trudl Dubsky Zipper, Manolo Rosado, Rosalia Merino
Santos and Alice Reyes.
 In the academe, student are taught in several techniques and styles, forms and traditions.  They
also study theoretical aspects of dance, like its history, aesthetics and signification, criticism, sociology
and anthropology of dance, anatomy and kinesiology, movement notation, music, theatrical designs
(costumes, sets, lighting and make-up) and dance production.  They are developed in both theoretical
and practical expertise in dance.

In the Philippines, Philippine Women’s University started a now defunct dance degree
program, .  The University of the Philippines ran two dance programs at the College of Human Kinetics
and at the College of Music, the second one still prevailing in both diploma and bachelor degrees.  De la
Salle University’s Benilde School has also worked out a degree program with the CCP Dance School and
Ballet Philippines.  Abroad, there are masteral and doctoral programs, some of which Filipinos have
taken.

SIGNIFICANCE OF PHILIPPINE DANCE EDUCATION

Learning, thought, creativity, and intelligence don’t just come from the brain alone, but from the
entire body. Movement combinations increase memory, order, and sequencing skills. Creating dances
also increases self-esteem which is so very important to learning. We already witness the need for
children to move throughout the day. Having experienced first hand the positive effects that music and
dance have on students’ development, I feel it is important for dance to be included in all elementary
(and secondary) curricula.

There are so many reasons why dance is important to the health and development of our young
people. Above all, children need to move! Any way to get kids moving on their feet is a must (especially
in a digital era). Dance burns calories, strengthens muscles, improves balance, increases flexibility, and
gives the heart a good workout. Dance has also been proven to increase cognitive development. Current
research documents the importance of exercise on the brain and supports what dancers have always
known – the body and mind are connected in vital ways.

Utilizing dance in academics also helps children develop skills that are necessary for learning
such as creativity, communication, critical thinking, and collaboration. Through the creative process,
students are encouraged to use their imagination, collaborate with their peers to solve problems, and
discover multiple solutions to challenges.

Dance teaches the importance of movement and fitness in a variety of ways through a variety of
disciplines. As well, dancers learn to coordinate muscles to move through proper positions. Dancing is a
great activity to pursue at almost any age provided you are in proper health to handle the rigors of
dancing for life.
PHASES OF PHILIPPINE DANCE PROGRAM
1.    Creative Rhythms - are sometimes called fundamental rhythms or natural dances. A creative rhythm
is an end product of exploration and improvisation of movements as children learn to move the parts of
their body and to use them as instruments of expression.

2.    Folk/ Ethnic dance - is a cultural art form handed down from generation to generations. It
communicates the customs, beliefs, rituals, and occupations of the people of a region or country. Folk
dancing belongs to the people. It emanates from them. Ethnic tribes have their specific tribal art forms
originated and danced by the people of the tribe.

      Examples of folk dances are the rural and country dances, jotas, mazurkas, pandanggos, among
others with foreign influence.

      Examples of ethnic dances are the dances of the mountain peoples of the Cordilleras, dances of the
ethnic groups in the Cagayan Valley Region and the ethnic dances in the Mindanao Regions.

3.    Social and Ballroom Dance - the setting of the social and ballroom dance is a social gathering with
the more formal atmosphere than the simple and informal parties in which the recreational dances are
the usual forms. Social and ballroom dancing are generally held in the evenings. The participants are
usually in formal attire.

4.    Recreational Dance - includes dance mixers, square dance round and couple dances. Many of these
dances have simple patterns and combinations of walking steps, polka step and the waltz step. The
setting is usually informal gatherings and parties, reunions etc.

5.    Creative Dance - is the highest form of dance. It is the end-product of exploration and improvisation
of movements as the dancer or the choreographer expresses his feelings or emotions, ideas, and
interpretations. This is a dance with a definite form, a beginning and an ending. The principles of art
form are all observed in the composition of the dance.

Examples of creative dance are ballet, jazz and modern or contemporary dance.