Single Step – Hop – Double Step – Hop: The Tinikling Dance

The easy way to do the Tinikling dance is to master the three basic steps: Singles, Doubles, and Hop. The combination of each basic step comprises the Tinikling dance steps.
The singles and doubles refer to the number of feet that will touch the floor at a given step. In singles, only one foot touches the floor while doubles mean both feet will touch the ground. Meanwhile, the hop step is performed to cross over the bamboo poles to complete one routine of the Tinikling dance.

It is performed by four people, usually composed of three boys and a girl. While the two boys operate the bamboo poles by hitting them to the ground in rhythm to the music, the other pair (a boy and a girl) will perform the dance.

Tinikling follows the 4/4 pattern which denotes that there are four beats in every measure and the repeated rhythmical beat goes, “slap, slap, clap, clap.” Balance is not really a requirement in this dance, teamwork, agility and good timing are.

First is teamwork. It’s important because the bamboo clappers needs to be coordinated as they hit the bamboos on the floor and then together. The dancers must also work in synch to prevent themselves from rambling. Finally, all the performers, dancers and bamboo clappers, should work as one. They must have the same speed, same beat counting, and same rhythm. Second is agility. This refers to the speed, alertness, and flexibility of the dancers. For instance, if the bamboo clappers seem to hit the bamboos on a faster pace in order to follow the rhythm of the music, dancers must adjust quickly and must increase their speed as well. Third is timing. Timing is important to prevent the feet from being hit by bamboo poles. Performers of Tinikling must have good timing as when to start doing the single step or the double step or to hop across the bamboo poles. Like in every dance, the first step is always crucial. The first step, most of the time, will reveal how the dance will end.

The dance is conceived to have developed from wide imagination of the natives in the islands of Leyte in Visayas by imitating the movements of “tikling” birds that skilfully walks around and between tree branches and some grass stems. Today, we experience the gracefulness enriched in the dance acclaimed as one of Philippines’ best known dances and feted as the country’s national dance.

Performing the dance is identified similarly with playing the jumping rope, but instead of a rope the performers use two bamboo poles. The dance is quite exhausting and since the performers are hopping from one side of the bamboo poles to another, it requires a lot of energy. - NIKKI ANGULO

Photograph Source:
http://www.likha.org/galleries/tinikling.asp