Literature of Binatbatan Folk Dance

An occupational dance from Paoay, Ilocos Norte, Binatbatan depicts

the beating of cotton pods to separate the seeds from the fibers with
the use of two sticks called batbat in the Ilocos region. Weavers in
Paoay often engage themselves in abel-making contests (abel is a
cloth common among the Ilokanos). Dancers maneuver in and out
of parallel batbat sticks, each about 18 inches long. The rhythm
and speed of the beating of the sticks make for a lively and colorful
display.
Francisca Reyes Aquino

 Reyes-Aquino is the first National Artist for Dance. She was born
in Bulacan on Mar. 9, 1899 (exactly 120 years ago)—at a time
when the hegemony of the United States in the country was at its
peak.
 Fondly called “Mother of Philippine Dancing,” Francisca Reyes-
Aquino lived a life dedicated to preserving Filipino heritage
through studying and teaching folk dances.
 After noticing “the corrupting influences of American Culture in
the early years of the 20th century—jazz, movies, comics,
language, and dance” while working as a student assistant for
Physical Education in the University of the Philippines (UP),
Reyes-Aquino decided to lead a cultural research on the
Philippines’ unique folk culture and popularize it.
 With a small team of researchers, Reyes-Aquino spent months
traveling to different rural communities, such as the barrios in
Central and Northern Luzon, and studying the dances, activities,
and even songs prevalent in it.
 She finished her research in 1926 and published the thesis
titled Philippine Folk Dances and Games, which became a big
help for educators and most Filipinos to recognize “unrecorded
forms” of local dances, celebrations, and rituals.
Her Discoveries

 It was in Leyte where Reyes-Aquino discovered the widely

known Filipino dance Tininkling, which involves two bamboo
poles and has movements imitating those of the tikling birds
dodging the traps of farmers in rice fields in the Visayan
Islands.
 Reyes-Aquino also discovered and taught the Maglalatik, Lubi-
lubi, Polka sa Nayon, through her books, which are still used
as a major reference for teaching physical education until
today.

These discoveries were a product Reyes-Aquino’s firm belief that

“culture was not an afterthought to the social organization of the
commonwealth regime.”

“Heritage must not be sacrificed for progress,” Reyes-Aquino once

said. “What matters for now is for every Filipino to protect our
tradition and let no one distort it under the guise of modernization.
Leave the folk dances as they are.”