One wrong step and this Filipino dance could give you a sprained ankle

What do you call an almost improbable dance routine involving two long bamboo poles rhythmically clapped together to the beat of a Spanish rondalla, while a dancer or two quickly hop in and out of the clapping poles, each time narrowly missing sprained ankles?

It’s the most thrilling of all Filipino dances: the Tinikling.

 

Played at almost every grade school assembly (yes, we train Filipino kids to handle fear at a young age), talent show, Filipino Indepence Day celebrations, and even at wedding parties, the danger factor is what thrills audiences every time this dance is performed.

Will they get their feet caught by the bamboo poles?

Not gonna lie: sometimes accidents do happen. But hey, practice makes perfect. Some dancers even dance Tinikling while blindfolded!

Here are 5 Top Things to know about Tinikling:

1) Tinikling is one of many traditional folk dances in the Philippines, with a heavy Spanish influence. It is the country’s official national dance.

Tinikling dance is performed in this video with many variations such as dancing while blindfolded.

2) The dance is inspired by the movements of the tikling (Hypotaenidia philippensis), a small bird the size of a chicken, with long, skinny legs.

3) A much darker origin of the dance is from legends that it started as a disciplinary action for Filipino field workers during the Spanish occupation of the Philippines (starting in 1565 and lasting over 300 years). Bamboo poles were used to strike workers’ feet. Over time, they became so adept at avoiding the bamboo poles, and it became an art form.

4) Tinikling gets progressively faster and faster, with dancers often holding hands close to the end of the routine to steady themselves.

5) It is traditionally performed with rondalla music: a lilting, rhythmic Spanish-style music. However, there are many variations of Tinikling music, such as this hiphop, modern twist of Tinikling performed by Gen Z’s from the United States.

A hiphop version of Tinikling is performed by Gen Z Filipino-Americans in this Youtube video.