SINGKIL

Singkil (or Sayaw sa Kasingkil) is a famous dance of the Maranao people of Lake Lanao, which was popularized by the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company.

(Maranao, Mindanao) Coming from the Lake Lanao region, the Singkil is a popular dance performed during celebrations and other festive entertainment. Performed as a female only dance, the Singkil serves as either a conscious or unconscious advertisement to would-be suitors for her future marriage. The ladies graciously step in and out of clashing bamboos poles arranged in either a parallel, rectangular, or criss-cross fashion while manipulating either apir (fans), mosala(scarves), or even just their bare hands. Singkil means to entangle the feet with disturbing objects such as vines or anything in your path. It takes its name from the epic tale that the Maranaw people trace the origin of their culture.

Singkil is originally originated from the Maranaw of Lake Lanao (Ranaw). It is derived in a story from the Darangen epic of the Maranaw.

As with many other Southeast Asian and South Asian bamboo dances, the dance now popularly known as Singkil has its roots as a communal dance in which women show their grace in manipulating a fan or at times a scarf and precision skills of interweaving into the clapping bamboos. While the woman dances, an ensemble of kulintang musicians play for the dance. While the dance is often referred to as a Muslim dance, it is, however, a secular dance performed by the Ummah communities of the Maranao and Magindanao. Performed at celebrations and festivals, traditionally the dance was performed by a girl of royal blood intent on advertising herself to would-be-suitors for her future marriage. Traditionally, Singkil was performed by only women, inclusive of the clappers and the individual in the role of Putri Gandingan. Initially, the dance was perform with just one pair-set of bamboos. Then, it grew to two criss-crossing pair-sets of bamboos.

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SINGKIL, a dance originating from Lanao del Sur, Mindanao is said to be a dance of Muslim royalty.

To the rythmic clapping of bamboo poles, the dancers weave expertly through crisscrossed bamboos, the ladies dressed in elegant Muslim costumes waving great big fans, the men flipping brightly colored handkerchiefs right and left.

The dancers wearing solemn faces and maintaining a dignified pose being dancing at a slow pace which soon progresses to a faster tempo.

Legend has it that SINGKIL originated from the day the diwatas(some from of nymph or fairy)played a joke on Princess Gandingan as she was taking a walk in the woods. The diwatas caused an eathquake that made the trees tremble and the rocks to roll and knock against each other. Nothing daunted, Princess Gandingan skipped nimbly from place to place and no tree or rock ever touched her tiny feet.

There are many versions of SINGKIL. When performed by ladies of the royalty of Lanao, the dancer is usually accompanied by a waiting lady, who holds a beautifully decorated umbrella over the Princess' head wherever she goes.

The dance has no definite number of steps or figures.Even the arm movements are improvised and executed according to the mood and skill of the dancers.

Quoted from FOLK DANCES volume 5, Francisca Reyes Aquino, 1983