Philippine Dance

There are a lot of types of dances in the Philippines. As varied as the people here so are the dances.
Philippine dances are expression of many things. They can be expression of grace, love, creativity, religion, culture, spiritual beliefs and festivities.
Philippine dances are categorized ranging from geographic location; societal functions dance influences and time periods. That’s how they are categorized.

Geographic locations, presents dances in the Philippines that are often categorized in ethnic or geographic location. This Localization is often presented in the following categories:
ï    Dances of the Cordillera Mountains (Igor)
ï    Dances of Taga-Ummah (Muslim)
ï    Dances of the Traditionalists (Lumad)
ï    Dances of the Low-Land Western Christians

Societal function, are other less common presentation of the Philippine dances that have been through their categorization as societal functions.
Philippine dances are unique as they not only convey the artistry of movement but these movements are often associated to a life function such as occasions like weddings, the mimicking of certain animal  movements or sounds through dance and even warding off evil spirits.
This type of dances are can be looked at or categorized as:
ï    Ritualistic Dances
ï    Mimetic Dances
ï    Life-Cycle Dances

Dance influences are another presentation of dances through the influences of the Spanish and Americans. They are as follows:
ï    Southeast Asian Influence
ï    Mainland Asian Influence
ï    Spanish Influences
ï    American Influences

Time periods, also has something to do with the dances in the Philippines. It varies on which time period it came from. As culture is constantly evolving, dances often change along with it. Categories are:
ï    Pre-colonial
ï    Spanish Colonial
ï    American Period
ï    Modern and Post Modern