How to Attract a Man – T’boli Style

July 13, 2013

This young T’boli woman demonstrates the techniques

It’s amazing how human beings, from the primitive to the ultra-modern times, have struggled and invested significant efforts during their mature lives to find a partner either temporarily or for a lifetime. While there are those who appear to be totally unaffected by this human need; tales in human history such as those of Helen of Troy and Lord Byron’s Don Juan de Marco, tell of individuals whose lives seem to mainly gravitate towards attracting the opposite sex.

The T’boli People of Lake Sebu in the Philippines are apparently not exempt from this phenomenon and it is even featured in one of their traditional dances. In the dance, a T’boli lady demonstrates how facial expressions and bodily gestures can be used to attract or give a indication that she is interested in a man .

I was fortunate to have witnessed this dance. It was performed by this young T’boli woman for us, the guests in Punta Isla, a resort restaurant in Lake Sebu. Before her performance, she explained the meaning of the dance and then, to the slow beat of a traditional drum, gracefully shifted from pose to pose, smiling, winking, sometimes giggling — all for the assumed purpose of getting a man to approach or, perhaps, propose. I did not get to ask the other men in the audience if they found the poses effective but I think I’ve seen these techniques being used by other women in other places as well. The projected characters are just my own interpretation of the dance. And I could be wrong.

Engaging (winks)

Shy

Mysterious

Funny

Sophisticated

Demure

The one thing I believe the dancer was right about was in varying the techniques since we, men, despite the seeming disinterest, also make sophisticated choices. Or perhaps are just too busy looking with the appropriate response. 🙂