Culture is an important aspect of identifying a community. More so, culture is the basic aspect which creates a sense of belonging in any society. Culture provides the beauty of diversity which beautifies essence of heritage awareness. Cultural awareness forms the basic foundation upon which the norms and practices of a community are defined from. Having a cultural awareness is the first step towards appreciating the beauty of diversities within the global demographic. In this context, appreciation of diversities emanates from the need to form strong integration bonds within a particular named community (Farnell & Brenda, 2015). Cultural awareness develops the main reason why cultural differences have formed the basis of interaction among human beings from different nations, civilization groups, language, races, and political affiliations. Culture enriches the global community with the knowledge of embracing individuals with different beliefs and codes of life. In as much as culture is wide in its sense, there are several communities which have stood out in a podium of uniqueness in terms of cultural practices (Robert, & Kennedy et al, 2010).
Despite complexities found in their traditional practices, these communities have not disappointed in terms of understanding the strong unity which is created when a community is intact in its cultural practices (Farnell & Brenda, 2015). Coming to think of it, there comes certain which has been defined by its unique cultural practices. This community is the Filipino community. In spite of a pool of cultural practices present among the Filipinos, Tin-inkling dance is one which has been applauded for the advantages it has brought among the Filipinos. Tinikling dance is an ancient folk dance of the Filipinos. It involves two people who beat the drums in a particular rhythm and two people who swing long bamboo poles. In between, there are several dancers who slide their feet between the bamboo poles in a systematic move.
Commonly, tinikling dance is performed along with the rondalla music of the Spanish people (Robert, & Kennedy et al, 2010). The bamboo poles provide a clapping sound while the rhythm is completed by other accompanying musical instruments. As a folk dance, tinikling dance is performed during special festival s of the Filipino. During these festivals, the people are united and brought together by the resonating attitudes towards the essence of these occasions. It is during this dance when people showcase other traditional talents which in turn serve a whole purpose of uniting the community. At particular seasons, this dance is performed by many people in the Philippines (Farnell & Brenda, 2015). The most outstanding impact of this kind of dance is that it helps in communicating the diversities presents among the Filipinos. Therefore, this whole study helps in understanding the state of cultural awareness among the Philippines.
It provides a clear elaboration of how tinikling dance helps in shaping the culture of the Filipino people. Francisca Reyes, a researcher in the Philippines stated that Tinikling dance has vastly reshaped the culture of the Filipino which explains why the dance has not faced extinction even with the threat of modern civilization (Farnell & Brenda, 2015). She stated that it has overcome the impact of modern century owing to the strong effect it has on the people of Philippines. This research includes a series of studies made in Davao City in Philippine during the famous Kadayawan which is conducted annually. The conduct of this study is to provide a vivid picture of the whole impact of Tinikling dance over the generations and how it has successfully played a role in understanding the cultural heritage of the Filipinos. Additionally, this study aims at including the locals in contributing in explaining the strengths of their diversities to the general population of interest (Farnell & Brenda, 2015).
Method
The study was conducted in a manner which made high utilization f semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The study took place in Davao City. Within the city, three universities and two colleges were chosen from where the respondents would be selected from. Three students were selected from each university and college. Therefore, there were 15 respondents from, University of South-eastern Philippines, Ateneo de Davao University, Immaculate University, Digos College and Rizal Memorial College. Additionally, there were three respondents from Davao City National High school, one student, and two teachers. Lastly, two local residents were selected at random making it a total of twenty respondents.
A questionnaire was made with five questions and was distributed to ten of the respondents randomly. Additionally, the remaining correspondents were to attend a semi-structured which would provide an overview of the impact of folk dances among the Filipinos.
The questionnaire was distributed to the first lot of ten respondents. It contained questions which would gauge overall understanding of the role of Tinikling dance among the Filipinos. It also contained questions which enable the respondents to elaborate on how the respondents understood why Tinikling dance is celebrated by all and sundry in the general population during the chosen festivals. On the other hand, the interview included a face to face interaction with the other ten respondents. Five interviewees would ask the ten respondents to express their thoughts on folk dances in Philippine. To kick-start the study, an approval as sought from the Office of the Senior Superintendent of Davao City. The approval would provide the necessary access to various resources within the city such as national gatherings.
The letter of approval was crosschecked by the directors of the above-mentioned learning institutions to give the approval of the respondents from their places of jurisdictions to participate in the research. Independent sessions were created for each respondent attending the interview as well as those filling the questionnaires. Participating researchers administered the interview session of the interview respondents in each institution. They distributed the questionnaires to each participating questionnaire respondent. The two local resident’s respondents responded in their homes through a phone call interview. To determine the overall response regarding the corresponding opinions on the impact of Tinikling dance among the Philippines, all respondents were asked to provide positive and negative impacts of the dance as a cultural practice. This would be handy in analyzing the results obtained during the research. Additionally, there was a common question on how the modern civilization has changed the mentality towards tinikling dance.
All materials bearing the collected data were all collected to provide a clear analysis of the results. To understand the paramount relationship between the importance of tinikling dance in shaping the culture of the Filipinos, events when it is vital and people’s perceptions towards the dance, each aspect was recorded through writing for further analyses. The whole of these exercises of data collection took place in five working days. Such duration was owing to the time taken traveling from one destination to another to get in touch with the respondents. Additionally, there were variations in weather patterns which affected the traveling time. After one week, enough data was collected and ready to be analyzed
Results and Discussion
Table 1
How Tinikling Dance has shaped the Culture of the Filipinos in Davao City
Variables
No. of respondents
Quality of Description
Mean
Interpretation
Sense of Identity
5
High
4.0
Homogenous Response
Multifaceted the Western Culture
3
High
6.7
Homogenous Response
Intercultural interactions
7
High
2.9
Homogenous Response
Strengthening the Folk Dance as a whole
5
High
4.0
Homogenous Response
Presentation in the above table shows various ways in which tinikling dance has impacted and shaped the culture of the people in Davao city. All respondents took part in choosing the most appropriate way in which the dance has shaped the culture as a whole. Each figure on the variables side shows the respective way in which each respondent perceived the impact of the dance. The mean values represent the whole response of the group in relation to the total number of the respondents. Individuals who thought that it has diversified the culture had the highest mean value while those who believed it has formed the basis for new cultural interactions had the least mean value. However, from the results, it is clear that most people appreciated the impact of folk dance in increasing human interactions. All participants provided a homogenous response with a high-quality explanation as to why they chose their respective answers.
1. Sense of Identity
Filipino tinikling dance is vibrant and beautiful to watch. The articulation of the steps and the dressing code worn during the dance makes it more attractive and colorful. As a result, more people from different phases of the globe have always found immeasurable fun in watching this traditional dance. It has impressed people from different walks of life, both locally and internationally. From the good feeling associated with global acceptance and appreciation, the Filipino people have developed sheer pride in their heritage (Leandicho & Lopez, 2006). As a result, more Filipino people have been enthralled by the thought that their traditional dance is globally applauded. Such a sense of pride for heritage has created a sense of identity for the Filipinos. From the sense of identity, more Filipinos have developed the sense of belonging and appreciated their diversities. Therefore, tinikling dance has been incorporated into major activities. Some of these activities include birth ceremonies, harvesting ceremonies, and major public celebrations.
The beauty of tinikling dance has instilled the quality of unity among the Filipinos (Baringer & Sally, 2006). Through understanding that they are united by similar traditional activities such as tinikling dance, Filipinos have developed strong connections. Identity and sense of belonging develop rapport among people. Therefore, the culture of the Filipinos has been directed towards national integration and cooperation. Additionally, it has played a role in preserving the good virtues and morals of the society (Baringer & Sally, 2006). As a result, the Filipino culture has been one which has formed the basis of instilling the good codes of conduct among the old and the young population in the whole of Philippine. These virtues emanate from the strong cultural beliefs and morals which surround the tinikling dance (Baringer & Sally, 2006). Therefore, from the dance and the sense of identity created by tinikling folk dance, Filipinos have taken it as a unanimous responsible to raise a well-reputed generation.
2. Multifaceted the Culture
A diverse culture is one which has multiple facets. Similarly, tinikling dance has multifaceted the Filipino culture. In the traditional society, tinikling dance was limited to certain traditional norms. However, with global interactions, modern practices have been assimilated into the traditional culture to make cross-culturally acceptable (Baringer & Sally, 2006). For example, during the 21st century tinikling dance, new styles of music have been incorporated into the dance routines. As a result, its beauty, taste, and authenticity have all increased. Additionally, the impact created by this dance has led its practice even in the western culture. For example, the dance routine has been incorporated into some learning institutions (Baringer & Sally, 2006). Through such moves, more people, not only the Filipino, has been involved in learning and teaching more about the dance (Baringer & Sally, 2006).
More dancers have been made across the globe. As a result, the global perception towards the Filipino culture has changed. It has therefore led to the expansion of the culture. This means Filipino culture has not only been limited to be practiced in Philippine but even in other global culture. A multifaceted culture is one which cross-culturally acceptable and free from any instances of negative prejudice. Moreover, a multifaceted culture through tinikling dance has promoted other aspects of the Filipino communit (Baringer & Sally, 2006)y. For example, through the music sung during the dance, one is able to have the niche to learn more about the Filipino ethnic group. In this case, through the dance, an anthropologist will understand the etymology of the cultural practice.
As an important learning tool, tinikling dance has thus been assimilated into the modern day civilization as evidenced in some of the United States learning Institution. Lastly, a multifaceted culture will provide different ways of lives of the Filipino people (Baringer & Sally, 2006). For example, there will be various facets of emotional expression, political expressions and communication styles, and patterns. Therefore, in shaping the culture of the Filipino people, tinikling dance has crucially played a role.
3. Intercultural Interactions
From the conducted research, it is clear that the most people in a community find it comfortable to stay in a community which appreciates cultural diversity. Research further shows that, from the traditional perspective, the essence of tinikling dance was to bring about local unity and converge the members of the community. The same belief has not suffered extinction because, Filipino believe in peaceful co-existence. Secondly, the dance has been an important tool for cultural interactions owing to the fact that, its practice has grown beyond the borders (Leandicho & Lopez, 2006). Through immigrations and cultural interactions, the Filipinos in other countries have actively continued to practice tinikling dance culture, its beauty, dress codes and musical rhythms has been loved by not only the Filipinos but also other communities. As a result, the dance festivals have been passed on from one country to another. Study revealed that tinikling dance is highly performed in several parts in Spain and the United Sates (Robert, & Kennedy et al, 2010).
Additionally, the movements in the dance have been used to dance different songs in different communities. Therefore, the urge and the need to receive global acceptance as a unique culture, the Filipinos have developed the mindsets of appreciating the cultural diversities within Philippines and beyond. Thus, the culture of the Filipino has been shaped towards favoring the different communities present in their country and other countries (Leandicho & Lopez, 2006). Moreover, more people have found ecstasy in participating in the dance. As a result, it has bred a favorable context for unification of interests and cross cultural interactions. Lastly, the dance has made the Filipino people to be interactive with other communities since the dance is perceived as a cultural heritage worth taking pride in (Leandicho & Lopez, 2006). As a national dance, it essence provides the niche for expression of personal emotions, communication and telling a personal story. The overall outcome of it is to bring about cultural interactions which lead to appreciation of cultural diversities.
4. Strengthening Filipino Folk Dance Culture
In Philippines, dance is perceived as an important cultural practice. Dance culture began in pre-colonial period. Civilization has not defaced the importance of traditional dance in the community. It is believed that dance and dance festivals bring the people together and unite individuals who find it exciting. Therefore as a prestigious cultural practice, more Filipinos have considered it as a crucial tool for cultural integration. As a result, there have been different types of folk dances within the community.
Folk dances have been used to conducted important rituals such as appreciating for the good deeds in the community, rainfall, fertility and community profits. This explains why there are several folk dances in Philippines. There are dances like, Binasuan dance, pandaggo, Muslim dance, Maglalatik, Kuratsa and pantomina dance..From the research, it is evident that people appreciated the fact that tinkling dance strengthened the dance culture among the Filipinos (Farnell & Brenda, 2015). From the folk dances, other aspects of the community will be freely expressed. In shaping the culture of the Filipinos, tinikling dance has therefore served the purpose of enriching the dance culture within the community (Farnell & Brenda, 2015).
It has also served the purpose of preserving the Philippines culture. Hence, cultural aspects of the community have been actively passed on from one generation to the other. Lastly, preservation of important values of the Filipino Culture has well been served through the dance. In this context, good morals attached to the dance have been preserved through the dance (Farnell & Brenda, 2015). Thus, to pass on the good morals and explain the important aspects of the Filipino culture, tinikling dance has been handy. Therefore, the strong belief and cultural connections present in folk dance have all been expressed through tinikling dance. Thus, in shaping of the Filipino Culture, the dance has been vital in telling of the story of the Filipino to other community which has in turn served the best purpose of promoting cultural pride.
Conclusion
The study was an important learning tool about the various aspects of the tinikling dance among the Filipinos. The strong morals and cultural beliefs attached to the dance culture were clearly expressed by the respondents. From the study, it is clear that, in shaping the culture of the Filipino, tinikling dance was an important aspect of the community. It has diversified the culture in Philippine, promoted cultural interactions, promoted cohesiveness in terms of cultural beliefs and diversified the culture of the Filipinos (Robert, & Kennedy et al, 2010). As a result, the Filipinos have developed a sense of heritage pride which has been handy in eschewing any divisive cultural practices (Farnell & Brenda, 2015). Even with the threat of civilization, Filipinos have held on strongly to tinikling dance and dance festivals to actively express the role cultural practices in the community. Conclusively, dance has been an important tool to express emotions, communicate and tell stories of individuals and the community in a language that is enjoyed by all and sundry.
References
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Farnell, Brenda (2015). "The Pangalay Dance in the Construction of Filipino Heritage". The Journal for the Anthropological Study of Human Movement Vol. 22, Issue 1.ellie
Kautz, Pete (2005). "The Tinikling: How Traditional Filipino Dance Can Develop Your Combative Attributes!". Alliance Martial Arts.
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