arnisandyz
Master Black Belt
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.
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.