Singkil

Singkil is a Maranao royal dance from the Philippines. The dance features a prince and a princess weaving in and out of crisscrossed bamboo poles clapped in syncopated rhythm. While the man manipulates a sword and shield, the woman gracefully twirls a pair of fans. The dance takes its name from the belled accessory worn on the ankles of the Maranao princess. A kulintang and agung ensemble always accompanies the dance. Singkil has evolved over time, with significant reinterpretations and changes introduced by the Bayanihan folk dance group, such as the incorporation of the elements from the Darangen epic, particularly the episodes involving Prince Bantugan and Princess Gandingan.¶

Description

Singkil's origins and evolution have been the subject of various debates, but it is mostly agreed upon that it is a relatively new practice by the Maranao people. Sani (1979) suggests that the dance originated in the Basak area, located on the eastern shores of Lake Lanao, which then spread to other villages in the 1930s. On the other hand, de los Santos (1979) claims that the dance was brought to Lanao, specifically to Rumayas, Lumba-Bayabao (formerly known as Maguing), by an individual from Cotabato, Maguindanao. Although de los Santos does not provide a specific date for its introduction, it is believed that the Singkil dance appeared relatively recently. Kanami Namiki also suggests that a plausible origin may have been the bamboo dances practiced by lowland Christians, and their adoption by the Maranao people could have occurred when folk dance was incorporated into the Physical Education curriculum in Lanao's public schools during the early 1900s. Abdullah Madale (1976) includes a photograph in his book, labeling it as the Singkil dance and depicting two parallel bamboo poles. He describes it as a typical outdoor dance of the Maranao people. Similarly, Steven Fernandez, the founder and artistic director of the Integrated Performing Arts Guild (IPAG), speculates that the Singkil dance may have originally been a dance-game played by Maranao children. However, it underwent a significant transformation into a noble royal dance named Singkil by the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company. Henrietta Hofer-Ele was one of the first to conduct a research on the execution of the dance which is now called Singkil.¶

Bayanihan

When the Bayanihan Dance Company began performing the Singkíl, the traditional dance was adapted to convey Western aesthetics. The Bayanihan portrayal, branded as the Princess Dance or the Royal Maranao Fan Dance, became so popular that it is often mistaken for the authentic version of the dance. A notable variation from the original is its inclusion of male dancers, as pole clappers and in the role of the Prince, Rajah Bantugan. Additional sets of criss-crossing bamboo poles were also added. Further adaptation divided the dance into four movements:¶

First movement – "Asik", where the slave with umbrella is introduced. Second movement – entrance of Putri Gandingan, the entourage of female fan or scarf dancers, and the arrival of Rajah Bantugan. Third movement – Patay, which is a slow section, and is a structural dance convention often found in Western performances. Fourth movement – the climax in which all dancers dance to the crescendo of music.¶

Other versions

PCN (Pilipino Cultural Night) festivities held by foreign-based student groups and other theatrical dance companies have modernised interpretations of the dance, resulting in unorthodox portrayals of the Singkíl by even the most esteemed of Philippine folk dance choreographers. The Philippine Barangay Folkdance Troupe portrays the prince dancing scarves rather than with a sword and a shield. Some dance companies have even fused the Singkíl with ballet, or make use of multiple layers of overlapping bamboos.¶

In film

The Singkíl was performed in the 2001 American independent film The Debut. The movie was directed by Filipino American filmmaker Gene Cajayon and starred Dante Basco. The film captured the essence of Filipino traditions and the blending of these with modern American culture.¶

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Singkil”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence.¶

Singkil is traditional Filipino folk dance of the Maranao people, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition.¹¶

The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation.¹¶