Filipino Dance

[arnisandyz]

Anybody familiar with the Tini-Cling? Traditional cultural dance where 2 people hold two long (and thick) bamboo poles about 10 feet long and tap the to the ground and together in rythmn to a beat. A third and sometimes more people do a stepping patern in and out of the tapping poles. Or that dance (forgot the name) where you hold a candle in one hand, circle it counterclockwise (if its in your right hand) until it tucks under your arm until over head and back?

My sisters use to be part of a Filipino American Dance Club when I was very young and they would teach me these dances. In retrospect, I can see the martial application in the footwork, its basically either a side to side step or a modified male or female triangle with replacement step happening in between the poles. In the candle dance I see application of the wing block, umbrella block and inside deflection (or reverse knifehand). I think even the dancers don't realize that there movements can have martial application.

I think these are just a few out of many dances that contain martial application that developed to hide martial practice from the Spanish. There is a local Filipino Dance troop, I am thinking of joing if I can find the time, to learn more of these dances. Of corse the most obvious is the Moro-Moro Dance a retelling of the Christian -Muslum conflict.

 

[Guro Harold]

Hi Andy,

I have heard of the Tini-Cling from my instructor, David Ng. Basically, any new student to Arnis is introduced three basic footwork patterns (forward triangle, reverse triangle, and horizontal shuffle steps). He usually mentions how it relates to the Tini-Cling.

He also hosts at his school a Filipino cultural music and dance group that practices and peforms from time to time in the Raleigh, NC area.

On a side note, when I was Jamaica last January, where it was incorporated it in a performance, and no, I did not volunteer my services.

 

[sandan]

Tinikling is the dance with the long bamboo poles.

The Binasuan is the candle dance.

 

[Rich Parsons]

Tinikling is the dance with the long bamboo poles.

The Binasuan is the candle dance.

I have seen both of these dances before, and even know someone who instructs them. I had the priviledge to view a very nice demonstration after a 50 year wedding reaffirmation ceremony. I enjoyed it very much and liked the culture.

 

[SHADOW]

Yes, I have been exposed to it through my mother. Although I am African American my father remarried a Filipina when I was at a very young age. She exposed me to the different foods,customs and traditions of the Philippines with Tinikling being one of them.It kind of reminds me of jump rope. I have witnessed it here in San Antonio at a cultural festival we have here once a year where different cultures,races etc meet to expose others to their way of life, as well as when I was in the Philippines 2 years ago. Its a treat to watch if anyone has a chance to witness it.

Craig Dishmon
Kenpo-Parker/Planas Lineage
Pekiti-Tirsia- McGrath/Whitson Lineage
Remy Presas Arnis
THE DIRTY BOYZ

 

[arnisandyz]

It kind of reminds me of jump rope.

your right, it is very similar to jumprope in that the participants time there stepping to the rythmn of the bamboo. I recently saw another dance which is basically a tinikling x2 like a double-dutch (forgot the name)! Imagine 2 sets making a cross and the dancers stepping into 5 different zones....pretty cool.

 

[bart]

The candle dance I've also heard of as Pandanggo Sa Ilaw. There's another one with water, very similar to (Binasuan/PSI).

 

[Pete Kautz]

Howdy all,

I'm new to the MT forum, but after seeing this thread it inspired me "dust off" and post an article I wrote several years ago and just never shot photos for about the tinikling.

Please visit http://alliancemartialarts.com and check out the "What's New" section for the article.

There are a lot of more overtly martial Filipino dances out there, but the tinikling is a good one for footwork and a lot of fun at a party as well.

Some good links at the end of the article for tinikling as well!

Enjoy and all the very best,

Pete Kautz
http://modernknives.com

 

[Datu Kelly S. Worden]

Pete, Pete, Pete,,,

Great story on you website, you are so correct in the thoughts of adapting the movements as applied to the Kuntao, Silat, Pakua (old school), even the Tai Chi Chuan "hands like clouds", much is there.

Sonny Umpad was a dancer in the Philippines and applied much to his empty hand art, he would demonstrate the concepts "Dance of The Coconuts" as the slapping activated the "Hand, Elbow, Knee, and Foot" strikes. Each succession of blows would spin, sink, spring, shift, a technique into the fray. What was a cover was a hit, an attachment, a palis palis, with the foot stepping and sliding applied to stomps, sweeps, and trapping.

I don't have much time right now, but in the final days of Professor in Victoria BC, Roland Dantes, John Casebere (massage therapist) and I took Professor done to the dining area for lunch. I made a announcement of who I was and how Professor Presas changed the live and art in the world of Martial Arts. I told his story briefly, and he was very moved, and then because of the age of the people living there I demonstrated the anyo,,, not as many learned it but as it was applied in hidden flow, and then I demostrated the applications in flow. Some maneuvers I applied complete without extracting the the levers, throws, locks, and such, other more apparent maneuvers I replaced with elbow, supported hand rotations, knee combination striking in a pitter,patter, batta-bing, type broken rythum, upper body very broken in shift body rotation much like a palm change circle shift in Pakua,,, Professor became very excited as I announced the anyo was a way to bring traditional katate practitioners to the Modern Arnis system but in real time it could be applied as the hidden dances in the Cultural connection to the arts, knife, staff, stick, empty hand, and such. If you listen to the radio interview, Professor references the demonstration and states, "Datu moves like the bird" and several other comments, Roland Dantes wittnessed this demonstration and I showed him more later as referencing the anyo applied to Kuntao is a different anyo indeed,,, Professor authorized this transition to be included in my interpretation of how the anyo should and could evolve,, without a karate static relationship... it's true,.,, it's true,,

I got to roll, but I might offer more insight into the anyo if need be,,, 'Da Boar Man might understand some of what I just mentioned... I demo'ed briefly in Kansas some of these translations...



Datu Kelly

 

[Mark Lynn]

The area of martial moves in the tradtional filipino dances has been an interest of mine for several years now. However I've never had instruction in it and the exposure has been very limited.

GM Ernesto Presas makes references to the tinkling dances in his older videos as an inspriation or connection for his footwork in his system of Arnis. I saw Dan Inosanto make reference to this at a seminar relating the hand movements to various disarms and such. Also years ago there was a movie I think "Fire in Night" with Grace (something, she is/was a columnist for a martial magazine) where she learns to fight with the help of a filipino man. But first he teaches her to dance both the candle dance and the long pole dance.

But probably the best demonstration of it that I've seen was a couple of years ago, Guro John Bain demonstrated briefly the moves out of the candle dance and then showed techniques that related to these moves on a live attacker. He gave the example of using them to control someone by keeping them off balance and spining them around. The example was if drunk uncle acted up at a family get together you wouldn't want the person to be hurt, so this was a way to keep them off balance and not hurt them. (Clearly these moves could also have devasting consequences as well.)

And as Datu Worden mentioned I was impressed with his interpertation of the Modern Arnis anyos he demonstrated at the seminar in Kansas at Andrew's school. I didn't view Datu Worden's demonstration in context of the dances but in the context of the anyos, although what impressed me was basicaly the same thing. Taking something and looking at the root movements and then applying them in a martial way whether it be from a dance or a anyo (kata/form).

Mark

 

[Datu Kelly S. Worden]

​

Sorry for the typo errors this morning at 5:00 A.M., I don't see well without a cup of coffee to get the fingers and the mind moving properly.

I also don't want to deviate away from the dance aspect of the post. As explained to me from Sonny Umpad the Dance of the Coconuts was a way to create striking patterns while hiding the intent. Even the tempo was a broken rhythm, the snake like hand movements are disarming applications as well as cutting maneuvers with the Kris.

Granted I am not a historian nor claim any great amount of research of the dance, yet I am a man of movement intrigued by dance from all cultures. I find applications in any movements from walking to housework, that being the case everything is open game when relating concepts of combat.

I grabbed this some of the following material from an old statement I made on the WMAC forum :Some see form or Anyo only as a whole set pattern, and do not breakdown the interconnection and isolate the fine points of movement during evaluation to execution.

DeCadena, Crossada and such become more applicable when extracted and squeezed for every option, so to speak,, correcting each maneuver and relating it to the varied concepts contained within. Softening the movements of anyo can open the door to understanding variable options including how dance comes into play. Sonny Umpad is very much into fighting applications and can move with great flexibility and suppleness, blending or shadowing his opponent with ease. Potentially as we view a hand snaking in fluid rotations it is the forearm that is attached to the opponent and the hand is extending the energy beyond and through the motion.

By focusing on the applications of soft energy strikes, constrictions, locks, positional coverage (using the aggressor as cover), throws and takedowns, we gain deeper understanding of the gross maneuvers. Therefore when the Anyo comes back into play as a complete set it is a much more refined expression of varied energies and strategies and not just form. It becomes the simplified foundation and the vast amount of applications contained within become much more personalized extracted thru muscle memory and neural response.

A person only has to view Sonny Umpad's Kuntao or Leonard Trigg's combat Tai Chi/silat Applications and see the connection to Modern Arnis anyo and Filipino dance.

The Anyo is now much more alive, somewhat ever-changing and also serves as a storage room for technical expression.

Mark stated he did not view my demonstration of anyo as a relation to dance, that is easily understood as I was interpreting variable applications applied to combat. The same value is contained within if I were to seek deception of movement changing the intention or specific energy, even tempo to soften the visual appeal to appear less aggressive.

I am not saying this is a correct interpretation, only one I use to share movement and establish diversity in the anyo of Modern Arnis.

Anyo for Life...
Datu Kelly

 

[Mark Lynn]

​

Mark stated he did not view my demonstration of anyo as a relation to dance, that is easily understood as I was interpreting variable applications applied to combat. The same value is contained within if I were to seek deception of movement changing the intention or specific energy, even tempo to soften the visual appeal to appear less aggressive.
Datu Kelly

The last sentence here really expresses what first got me interested in the concept of the martial applications of the dances and the anyos. When Datu Worden demonstrated his interpertation of the anyos had I not known the anyos (demonstrated) I could have very easily thought they were a dance. By way of the fluidity of his movement instead of the karate like movement often seen with the anyos.

Mark

 

[Pete Kautz]

Boar Man - Wow, someone else who saw that film! The movie was Fire in the Night with Graciella Casillas (now Casillas-Boggs) and was really horrible except for the dance sequences and her doing redonda with a pair of sledge hammers(!) to build strength...
Best,

Pete Kautz
http://modernknives.com
http://alliancemartialarts.com

 

[Mark Lynn]

Boar Man - Wow, someone else who saw that film! The movie was Fire in the Night with Graciella Casillas (now Casillas-Boggs) and was really horrible except for the dance sequences and her doing redonda with a pair of sledge hammers(!) to build strength...
Best,

Pete Kautz
http://modernknives.com
http://alliancemartialarts.com

Pete

I forgot about the sledge hammers, thinking about it there was another interesting but very brief part with the instructor showing her how to hit different hanging sticks in a tree (training drill).

Mark