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Ala Kayo

DanceAla kayo
MeaningNamed after a half-man , half-animal creature
Dance Culture 
Place of OriginCuyo,Palawan
Ethnolinguistic GroupCuyunin
ClassificationMimetic
Background / ContentOn the day of St. Augustine who is the saint associated with animals, Ala kayo, a band of young boys, go out to have fun and earn good money. They wear g-strings made out of tree barks and sleeveless jackets of ginit (jute-like sheath from coconut palms) matched by an outlandish mask of the same material signatured by a wide nose, fluffy ears, fancy mustache of horse or human hair. Eyes and mouth are cut-out for seeing and breathing. They chase people especially good looking girls of their age. The only way to lure them away is to throw coins a good distance away. The more people to chase the more coins are tossed and earned. When the coins stop coming, the ala kayo boys stage a short divertissement. A part of their show is to gang up on an innocent girl and hunt her down with arrows. But, what people do not know is that this girl is actually a ploy and is a part of the ala kayo group. She pretends to be frightened and runs away but she is finally finished off by an arrow.