Mindanao is known with their rich culture and colorful clothing. They are also known for their beautiful and elegant dances. Their dances are their way to show other people their culture and beliefs and just like Luzon and Visayas, Mindanao also has different kinds of folk dances and one of those is the Pangalay folk dance.
ALL ABOUT PANGALAY FOLK DANCE
Pangalay folk dance is a kind of ethnic dance from Mindanao particularly at Sulu. It is a Sulu dance that focuses on hand gesture and the dancer’s posture. The dancers must have flexibility on their wrist, elbows and shoulders to be able to execute the proper movement of the dance. It is also known as a fingernail dance.
The movements of Pangalay folk dance is a resemble movements of the martial arts called kontaw silat. It is usually performed during weddings and other special occasion and festivities. The male version of Pangalay is called Pangasik which is composed of male dancers and has more martial arts movements while the pangiluk is pangalay version that being performed by both male and female dancers.
PANGALAY FOLK DANCE TODAY
Few people are familiar with different folk dance and some folk dance including the Pangalay folk dance is being performed during cultural programs or school programs. It is also included in school curriculum to make the student understand and be aware of the folk dance. It is nice to witness dances like Pangalay folk dance to be able to have knowledge about their culture and way of living because each dance has its meaning and importance.