Famous Filipino Folk Dances

Pandanggo sa Ilaw

Pandanggo sa Ilaw is commonly liked dance of grace and balance from Lubang Island, Mindoro Occidental. The term pandanggo is derives from the Spanish word fandango, a dance described by lively sterps and clapping that changes in rhythm in three-fourth time. Pandanggo sa Ilaw consists of three tinggoy, or oil lamps, balance on the head and the back of both hands.

Ossiwas is a dance characterized by swinging and circling a lighted lamp. In Pangasinan, it means swinging. Being the only one of its kind, this colorful dance needs skill in balancing an oil lamp on the head while circling in both hands a lighted lamp enclosed in a fishnet or porous cloth. The waltz-style music of this dance is having qualities in common to that of Pandanggo sa Ilaw. Waltz is a dance in which couples glide to music having three beats to a measure.


Maglalatik or Magbabao is a war dance representing in a picture a battle between the Moros and the Christian over the latik, the remainder left after the coconut milk has been boiled. At sometime in the course of Spanish rule, with coconut shells as tools, the people of the barrios of Loma and Zapote in the town of Biñan in the province of Laguna danced the Maglalatik.

The Palipasan and the Baligtaran, the first two portions of Maglalatik, reveal the hot combat between the Moros and the Christians. The Paseo and the Sayaw Escaramusa display the reconciliation between the legend, the two groups. As stated by the legend, the Moros won and got enviously wished latik. The dissatisfied Christians sent a representative to the Moros to offer peace and baptism to them.

During the town fiesta of Biñan, Laguna, the Maglalatik dancers are carrying out this dance from house to house for money or a gift in the daytime, and in the evening, they perform Maglalatik in the religious procession as it goes from one place to another along the streets as a sacrifice to San Isidro de Labrador, the patron saint of the farmers.


Binasuan is a dance full of life from Bayambang, a town located at the southern part of Pangasinan province. This dance having remarkable color displays proudly the balancing skills of the dancers who turn rapidly in circles move by turning over and over on the floor, and maneuver carefully with movement free of discomfort the drinking glasses half-filled with rice wine.

In Pangasinan, Binasuan means “with the use of a drinking glass”. It is frequently performed as amusement at social gatherings such as birthdays, weddings and fiestas where it becomes a competition among dancers and also among non-dancers as to who can display the most adventurous and expert balancing movement.

%d bloggers like this: