Dalit Bahandi 2012

Dalit Bahandi

            As I watched the show “ Dalit Bahandi” in SM last Sunday, February 26, 2012, it brings us back to our very own Filipino culture particularly in Folk Dances. It reminded me of how rich we are in our culture, not just in traditions, foods, and delicacies but also in the world of entertainment and that includes our Folk Dances, Folk Songs and our own musical instruments. The USC Dance troupe  performed different dances like Tinikling, Sayaw sa Cuyo, Cagayana, Jota de Paragua, Karatong ,Binasuan, Ngilin, Banga, Singkil and many more. Each Dance has its own meaning and background story or history on why it is called in that name. On the other hand, their costumes amazed me too. They were all beautiful and appropriate for each dances like the Bahag, Maria Clara dress, as well as with the other elegant costumes. There was also a live accompaniment by the different musical instruments. The dancers really performed well and in fact they really looked like as professional dancers already. They were really particular with their steps and movements. One of my favourite part was the Finale when all the dancers moved along to the song entitled “ Welcome to Cebu” where a lady holding up an image of Senyor Santo Nino was being praised by fellow performers. Seeing this made me more proud of being a Cebuana and a Filipino.

            Countries of the world have their own cultures made more colorful, beautiful and vibrant because of folk dances that are a reflection of who they are and what they are.In our generation today, we are all surrounded with these modern technologies that includes modern dances, songs and even instruments but let us not tend to forget and remember that we also need to take a look back in our folk dances, even to our own Filipino culture. This event makes me realized that we should value our culture. The Filipinos pay tributes and owe itself to cultural heritage. One way of showing such love and respect for the country gave birth to the development of Philippine ethnic folk dances. To conclude, these folk dances whether ethnic in origin or not reflect the lively culture that the Filipinos have. These dances may be diverse but through these cultural forms, the Filipinos are unified and proud by way of having Philippine Folk Dances that are truly one of the bests in the world.