Sensuous Singkil 2
Princess Gandingan is the central character of the Singkil Dance
March 2014: On a single night, I witnessed 3 different versions of Singkil, the most popular ethnic dance among the ethnic tribes of Mindanao. The dance tells the story of the lovely Princess Gandingan whose struggles against evil is portrayed by her having to dance across and step in and out of rapidly closing and opening pairs of bamboo poles. This is the second version which I found equally entertaining as the first, especially as the clapping of the bamboo poles builds into a crescendo and the character of the princess deftly but gracefully steps in and out of the crashing poles.
Pretty, fan-wielding ladies are part of Princess Gandingan’s court
Also part of the princess’ court are other ladies whose movements are equally graceful
As the bamboo poles open and close faster, the Princess had adjust her steps so as not to get her toes clipped
And then it was time for a brief pause before the Princess steps into the crashing poles once again.
The drag of endless mental work in a strange land takes its toll. Fatigue can kill so petty escapades provide hopeful deviations from the brewing madness. An aging DSLR keeps good company to a walk around the neighbourhood, a short drive to a scenic place, or a silent recollection in a quiet nook granting that the host community and the elements of nature would allow one a safe passage to solitude and contemplation. Loneliness quickly turns to joy when something exciting gets captured by the cam’s shutter then set free into the laptop’s screen followed by electric words that rush from the fingers to the keyboard in an effort to describe the moment. Alas, the brain is alive once again!
These days all news from Mindanao has always been on the insurgencies and rarely on its cultural life. So this is such a nice series of photos from that part of the Philippines.
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True, and I’m not happy with it. There’s so much richness and vibrancy in the cultures of Mindanao. To me, those issues about conflicts and insurgencies are isolated and should not dim the real beauty of its people. All the best to you!
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Reblogged this on The War Fish's Lair and commented:
Philippine traditional dances are a sight to behold, indeed!
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Thanks for the reblog and the kind comments. Will be posting more on the Singkil dance soon. Cheers!
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It’s refreshing–at the same time, stimulating–to see vibrant colors, accentuated by the grace captured in these shots. Great work, sir!
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