【講師コラム】エリカ講師No.7～What’s my hidden talent? ～

Art and craft are two of my hobbies, but what is my hidden talent? When I was young, I loved music, listening to music, and dancing to every beat. But when I was in university, I had a love of Philippine culture and the arts. Probably you don’t know all of these, but I am a dancer—not just a dancer, but I dance traditional and cultural dances. 

Let me share some of my favorites. Tinikling is a traditional Philippine folk dance that originated before Spanish colonialism in the area. The dance involves at least two people beating, tapping, and sliding bamboo poles on the ground and against each other in coordination with one or more dancers who step over and in between the poles in a dance. I was amazed when I saw the senior dancing tinikling, not knowing that I would be a tinikling dancer someday. It was a fun trill dance, making sure to match the beat with the clappers and dancers. 

The word “ragragsakan” is an Ilocano word that means merriment. The ragragsakan dance was created through the inspiration of Kalinga maidens balancing labba baskets placed on their heads as they carry the things people need during merrymaking, which usually takes place. It was a tough dance; it took us time to balance a basket placed on our heads, but it was fun training and fulfilling after a successful dance of ragragsakan. 

And lastly, the Jota Mocandena is the interpretation and adaptation of the old people of Moncada, Tarlac. Hence, the dance is named after the place where it originated. It is a combination of Spanish and Ilocano dance steps and music. The use of bamboo castanets makes the dance lively, gay, and delightful. This is one of my favorites because it originated in my hometown. It is a representation of the Philippines as lively and delightful. In our modern world today, it is nice to go back to our roots. It was a fun experience to dance cultural dances to represent my country. I hope you can share your hidden talent or some of your cultural dances too.