Today’s A Journey through Aesthetic Realms will be presented in Tagalog, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Hungarian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish and Thai.

The tropical land of the Philippines is home to 92 million warm-hearted citizens, who are known for their friendly and spiritual nature.

Philippine people are known throughout the whole world for what we call Philippine hospitality. One example is when they have visitor, they offer the bed to the visitor, and they will sleep on the floor.

For me, what’s really admirable about Philippine culture is their enthusiastic attitude. When it comes to work, they are very industrious all the time.

Being industrious, welcoming, cheerful, and most importantly, being very welcoming to others, being happy all the time and most of all, having faith in God all our lives.

The Philippines’ rich history and diverse culture is characterized by her three major regions: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The vibrant heritage of the Philippine people is especially reflected in folk and ethnic dances. Today on A Journey through Aesthetic Realms we will explore these colorful and lively dances through the Folkloric Filipino Dance Company, based in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines.

So the Philippine character that is shown through the dance is that even if life is hard, we are still happy. We have faith in life; we are not without hope. We always see the bright side of life.

Since its inception by Founder and Consultant on Cultural Affairs and Events, Ms. Daisy F. Juministrodo, the dance company has performed for such notable events as the Miss Universe beauty pageant, Cultural Dance Festival in Japan and Korea, WOW Philippines series and many others.

Performances were also conducted for the Department of Agriculture, Department of Tourism, Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Asian Development Bank. Members of the dance company are comprised of talented university students who wholeheartedly devote their time and energy into preserving their beautiful traditions.

My soul awakens as I know I am offering happiness to my fellow Philippine people.

For thousands of years, the mountain-dwelling ancestors of Philippine people lived in harmony with nature. They developed rituals for rites of passage, praying for rain, and expressing thanks to the Divine. Eventually, these ceremonies merged with folklores and became indigenous dances.

Each barrio or rural area has its own distinct dances, which include the sapatya from Manibaug barrio, Porac, Pampanga, sayaw sa bangko from Pangapisan, Lingayen, Pangasinan, sinulog from Sinugbahan, tinolabong from the mountain people of Panitan and Loctugan, Capiz, among many more.

It is shown here the happy life of our people in the barrios or the provinces that even if the people are poor and life is hard, they are still happy. They still smile and we will see these from the dances which we call fiesta dances.

Mindanao is the southernmost region of the Philippines, where Muslim culture is more prominent. The dances from this part of the country reflect dignified and elegant Islamic influences.

The second part of our Philippine culture is about the culture of the people in Mindanao, and our Muslims brothers are very colorful and very exotic and amazing, their dances, and especially their music and costumes. In the dances from Mindanao, we will notice that their movements and costumes, and especially their instruments, resemble the culture of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand because before the Spaniards came to the Philippines, Mindanao was a port for traders coming from these countries, so they imparted their culture to the Philippine people in Mindanao.

Pagapir is a beautiful Muslim dance in which performers are dressed in regal costumes. The graceful movements illustrate the glorious lineage of Muslim royalty.

We will be back with more on the lively, traditional Philippine dances after these brief messages. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

I wish to offer the audience happiness so just to see them applauding, I am already happy.

The Pinoys are happy, the Pinoys are graceful.

Welcome back to A Journey through Aesthetic Realms. Our show today features the treasures of the Philippines found in her traditional dances. Performed with poise by members of the Folkloric Filipino Dance Company, the organization is devoted to preserving the artistry of Philippine dances.

Every dance has to have the right expression. The dancer must express it. Because the whole dance is a story. You perform it with all your heart and discipline.

For me, the secret to be able to dance these traditional dances gracefully is discipline and respect for the traditions and culture of each region in our country.

Dances from the central Visayas region reflect a synthesis of diverse influences. The Philippines’ national dance originated from this region and is called tinikling. It involves bamboo poles and requires extraordinary coordination from the dancers. The agile steps of the dancers mimic the quick hops between branches of the local bird called tikling, from which the dance derives its name.

I offer my heart to the dancing of these traditional dances, Philippine dances that came from our ancestors, so I show people that even in this modern time, there are still people who dance these traditional dances. I give all due patience to learn cultural dances.

Maria Clara is a type of dance clearly distinguished by its Spanish origins. The female dancers wear the European-styled Maria Clara dress, while men are in traditional Philippine shirts with long sleeves called barong tagalong.

These dances resemble Spanish dances, which were taught to us when the Spaniards lived here. Our customs, including our Catholic belief, came from the Spaniards.

It is typical to use castanets, which is a round wood instrument.

When it was taught to the Philippine people, they adopted it to the Philippine way of using bamboo castanets. The sound of bamboo castanets is beautiful. We also changed the movements a little, we improved and adjusted it to the Philippine culture.

Most of the dance companies refer to our Spanish Philippine dance as Maria Clara Suite. Maria Clara is a character in the novel by Dr. José Rizal, our national hero. Maria Clara is a real person but in Rizal’s novel, entitled “Noli Me Tangere” (Touch Me Not), her name is Maria Clara. She is the daughter of a priest. That’s why she is beautiful. But she symbolizes a typical Filipina. A Filipina is modest. Aside from being beautiful, she is modest. In the old days, we were expected to follow the custom of Maria Clara, which is a Filipina custom.

Through learning and performing the traditional dances of the Philippines, the young and talented dancers help to preserve this aspect of their country’s beautiful culture. They also discover a great happiness in sharing the peaceful nature of Philippine people through this art form to their fellow country brethren as well as to the world.

We try to keep our culture. And it is fun to dance the culture that you grew up with.

From the dances that you performed, what good Philippine qualities do you think we can be proud of?

It is being modest, graceful and elegant. Having our own native talents, our own talent that we are ready to show to other people what they can enjoy and emulate. So our future generations can continue our Philippine culture.

It is a great honor to dance these traditional dances. In our culture, the right attitude is very important in dancing; it must be done correctly and with respect. There must be enthusiasm as you dance and the most important is to dance with love.

We thank Ms. Juministrodo and performers of the Folkloric Filipino Dance Company for their wonderful performances and noble efforts in preserving their rich heritage. The traditional dances of the Philippines are truly a reflection of the charming and hospitable qualities of her people.

For more information on the Folkloric Filipino Dance Company & Rondalla, please contact: 3-B Fulgencia St, San Francisco Del Monte, Quezon City Tel: Mobile: Email:

It was a pleasure to have you with us today for A Journey through Aesthetic Realms on Supreme Master Television.

Up next is Vegetarianism: The Noble Way of Living, right after Noteworthy News. May your life be filled with heavenly grace and celestial melodies.