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Tinikling is the Philippine National Dance and it originated in Leyte. It is a dance which imitates the legendarily fast and graceful movements of the beautiful tikling birds as these creatures dodged bamboo traps that were set by rice farmers.

Another source says that the dance really originated from the Spanish colonization where the field workers who were working slow were being punished by letting them stand in place and jump over two bamboo poles that were clapped together just against their ankles. From a distance, the gestures of the farmers looked similar with the tikling birds.

Tinikling is made up of at least one team of people that hit two parallel bamboo poles on the ground or dancing area and raise these bamboos slightly then clapping the poles against each other near the ground with a certain rhythm. The dancer then hops over and around the clashing poles. The poles can be repositioned during the dance to make new patterns.

tinikling, philippines, dances