
Dance | Birgoere |
Meaning | Square Dance |
Dance Culture | Lowland Christians |
Place of Origin | Cuyo, Palawan |
Ethnolinguistic Group | Cuyunin |
Classification | Social |
Background / Content | Where it not for the faulty water distribution in the island of Cuyo in Palawan, this dance may not have come into being. In the late evening, villagers troop to the water source just outside of town where they fall in line to have their containers filled. This long wait prompt the group to create an activity to while the time away. With a leader acting as an impromptu choreographer, movements and dance steps are executed by a few brave souls and before long, several groups are formed replete with musicians and a competition takes place. Innovative new steps were introduced each time but the basic and fundamental steps were based on the Quadrille, or square dance. |