Considered to be the Philippine national dance from its rival, Cariñosa, but still unconfirmed. This dance imitates the movements of a bird walking through tall grasses and tree branches. It requires two bamboo poles. The challenge of this dance is to try not to get your feet hurt between the poles.

This dance requires a narrow bench. Dancers must have good balance and control to perform this dance. This is a dance from the Pangasinan province.

This dance emerged from the Spanish dance Fandango. This dance was performed using three oil lamps: one from the head, and two from the hands. Women usually perform this there are times when males perform this dance.

A mock war dance described as a battle for coconuts. Males wear pairs of coconut husks on themselves and dance with slapping the husks to the rhythm.

Another dance which was called the Philippine National Dance aside from its rival, Tinikling. This dance means “loving or affectionate one”. It is basically a dance meant for flirting. A fan or a handkerchief is usually a vital role in performing this dance.

Also known as the “Dance of the Doves”, this dance mimics the courtship between doves and at the same time, a courtship between two lovers.

It was a popular dance in Marikina, Rizal during the Spanish times. In Spanish, it means waltz. This dance was performed after the religious procession and the music that accompanied the dancers was played by the (musicians using instruments made of bamboo).

It is derived from the words JOTA and BALSE. JOTA is a popular dance introduced in the Philippines by the Spaniards. This lively festival dance originated in Camohaguin, Gumaca, Quezon (formerly Tayabas).

It is a comic dance from Santa Maria, Bulacan. It is derived from the Tagalog word or which means monkey. In this dance, the dancer imitates a monkey - its characteristic movements, gestures, grimaces, etc. It is a happy, playful or angry mood, while it is playing, eating, or resting. Only one man performs this dance. Most of his movements are his own improvisations.

It is highly favored by the Waray people of the Eastern Visayan region in the Philippines. Strictly speaking, this must be done the MENUDO way, that is, only one couple dances it at a time. However, very different in the manner of execution to the Mexican counterpart.

It is a Spanish-inspired ballroom dance from the Bohol province of the Philippines. Although this dance is the Polish national dance, it was wildly popular throughout Europe in the 19th century and even in colonized lands overseas.

It is popularly known in Capiz and is performed in any social gathering of the people inhabiting the mountains of Capiz in the barrios of Tinpas and Panitan and also in the town of Panay.

The Maranao dance called ________ is in the repertory of all Filipino dance troupes. In 1958 the Bayanihan Dance troupe started with a simple version and has since developed it into a theatrical and stylized spectacle to the point of its becoming the troupe's signature piece.

Performed at Tausog weddings in Jolo, this dance consists of figures and steps based on classical and traditional Indian dance forms. Dancers perform with slightly bent knees turned outward, fingers held stiffly together with the thumb outward and apart.

It is an entertaining dance that is usually performed at festive social occasions like weddings and birthdays. Dancers carefully balance three half-filled glasses of rice wine on their heads and hands as they gracefully spin and roll on the ground. The dance originated in Bayambang in the Pangasinan province, and though it's usually performed alone, it can also become a competition between several dancers.

It is described as a dance of courtship and is often performed at weddings and other social occasions. The dance has three parts. The couple first performs a waltz. In the second part, the music sets a faster pace as the man pursues the woman around the dance floor in a chase. To finish, the music becomes even faster as the man wins over the woman with his mating dance.

It is adapted by the Filipinos from an old Spanish dance. It's a combination of Spanish and Ilocano dance steps set to Spanish music and castanets. A more solemn version of this dance is sometimes used to accompany a funeral procession, but it is also performed at celebrations.

It is a Muslim-influenced dance using a tubular garment, and the dance essentially shows the many ways it can be worn. There are men's and women's versions of the dance since they wear in different ways.

It is a strongly flamenco-influenced dance that comes from Botolan, Zambales. It combines Filipino and Spanish steps, and is a popular dance at weddings. It is also considered a courting dance in some situations.

Literally means "assortment," and this square dance of French, Spanish and Mexican dance. Traditionally, it is performed by a head couple accompanied by two other couples who lead all the dancers through various formations that resemble an old-fashioned quadrille.

It shows some European influence in its steps. The dance is composed of nine different steps which include various movements such as fluttering, stepping heel-to-toe, a reenactment of a bull fight, and even a leisurely walk.

This is a variation of the balse - the one-two-three graceful triple meter that Filipino traditional dance borrowed from the Spanish waltz. It is a formal series of close-step-close movements with a couple facing each other in a courtship configuration. Balse incorporates German and Spanish influence, but this dance is the specific invention of Quezon province, a large farming and fishing region southeast of Manila with a rich tradition of outside influences, including Spanish, Malay, and Muslim.

The weight on one foot, hit the floor with the ball or heel of the other foot (the free foot) after which that foot is lifted from the floor to any direction.

To displace quickly one foot with the other, thus completely taking off the weight of the body from the displaced foot.

A spring from one foot landing on the same foot in place or in any direction. The other

may be raised in any direction (in front, in rear, or across).

A spring on one foot or both feet, landing on both in any direction.

To glide foot smoothly along the floor. The movement may be finished with or without transfer of weight.

To bring down the foot forcibly and noisily on the floor (like doing a heavy step)

without transfer of weight.

To advance or recede by raising or moving one foot to another resting place. There is a complete transfer of weight from one foot to another.

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Philippine folk dancing is a true reflection of daily life in past centuries.

Folkloric dance is the history of the people. In some cultures, pale fragments of it survive centuries of invasions and Diasporas. In the Philippines, folk dance is a dying and enduring indigenous expression.

Before the recorded history of the Philippines, before the Spanish conquistadors conquered and Christianized the populace, from the earliest occupation of this volcanic archipelago, the people danced.

They danced to appease the gods, to curry favor from powerful spirits, to celebrate a hunt or harvest, to mimic the exotic life forms around them.

They danced their stories and their shamanic rituals, their rites of passage and their remembered legends and history.

Rural dances include such favorites as the high-stepping Tinikling, which mimics a bird, and the Gaway-Gaway, which features the movements of children pulling the stalks of the roots during a bountiful harvest.

During the Spanish Colonization. Folk dances survived the European invasion, and the dancers adapted imposed Christian belief and culture to their own dances, borrowing court choreography but imbuing it with Philippine spirit.

The history of dancing in the Philippines is a long and rich story that shows how intertwined the dances are with daily life and important events.

One of the reasons of dancing is to tell their stories and their shamanic rituals, their rites of passage and their remembered legends and history.

Francisca Reyes-Aquino, the country's pioneer researcher on traditional Philippine folk dances and music and known as the mother Philippine folk dancing, was born in Lolomboy, Bocaue, Bulacan.