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Tinikling Facts & Worksheets

Tinikling is the Philippines' national dance and is a traditional folk dance that originated during the Spanish colonial era.

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Tinikling is the Philippines’ national dance and is a traditional folk dance that originated during the Spanish colonial era. A dance that uses a pair of bamboo poles, Tinikling is considered to be the oldest traditional dance of the country and is also danced across the globe, particularly in the United States.

See the fact file below for more information on the Tinikling or alternatively, you can download our 20-page Tinikling worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ORIGIN

  • The name tinikling is referred to the long-legged bird locally known as tikling.
  • Tikling belongs to a number of rail species, but more specifically refers to the slaty-breasted rail (Gallirallus striatus), the buff-banded rail (Gallirallus philippensis), and the barred rail (Gallirallus torquatus).

STORY BEHIND THE TINIKLING’S ORIGIN

  • The word tinikling is literally defined as “to perform it tikling-like.”
  • The dance imitates the movement of the bird as it struts through the grass with its long stilts and the way it runs through branches or dodges bamboo traps set up by rice farmers.
  • It historically originated during the Spanish occupation in the country specifically in Leyte, an island in the Visayas.
  • According to legend, the dance was started when the indigenous locals were ordered by the King of Spain to work for the haciendas (plantations, mines, or factories) and lost control of their land during Spanish occupation.
  • Filipino locals that disobeyed the orders or worked too slowly would receive a punishment: to stand in between two bamboo poles which were clapped together to hit the Filipino locals’ feet.
  • Filipinos would then jump when the two poles were about to be clapped on their feet to avoid this painful punishment.
  • When the indigenous locals went back to their communities, they started practicing to escape the hits of the bamboo poles, for a competition.
  • This manner of jumping between the poles would later be transformed from a challenge into an artistic dance.
  • Now, the Tinikling is taught everywhere in the United States.
  • The dance is also being applied in schools for physical education classes to use as an aerobic exercise that helps expand physical movements like hand coordination, foot speed, and also rhythm.
  • Tinikling is usually performed at schools and on special events, such as the Philippines Independence Day, as a celebration of Filipino culture and Filipino pride.

DANCING THE TINIKLING

  • Dancing the Tinikling mainly consists of four people – two male and two female dancers.
  • One couple takes the position to dance while the other couple holds the bamboo sticks either by sitting or kneeling – they are called the “clappers.”
  • Clappers beat, tap, and slide bamboo poles on the ground.
  • The bamboo poles, which are around 6 and 12 feet long, serve as both a percussion instrument and a part of the dance itself.
  • Traditionally, when the dancers are executing the dance, the rondalla music will be played in the background as the bamboo poles are producing music too.
  • Tinikling dancers should carefully follow the rhythm to avoid getting a foot caught between the poles as they snap closed.
  • The dance is usually started through their hands placed at their hips or clasped behind their backs.
  • During the performance, the rhythm becomes faster and harder.
  • The dancers’ movements get faster, adding the challenge to “escape” the sticking of bamboo poles, making the audience feel excited.
  • At the last part of the dance, the dancers hold hands when the tempo is the fastest.
  • To end the dance, they let go of each other’s hands and move out entirely of the beating bamboo poles.

TRADITIONAL DANCING COSTUMES

  • Female dancers usually wear a traditional dress called Balintawak (a colorful dress with arched sleeves) or a Patadyong (a checkered loose skirt that’s often worn with a thin-fibered blouse).
  • Males dancers wear a Barong Tagalog (which is the country’s national outfit for Filipino men) usually a light long sleeved shirt paired with red trousers.
  • All dancers are barefoot while performing the Tinikling.

IMPORTANCE AND ADAPTATION

  • The importance of Tinikling can be seen through the unique props, attire, and entertaining dance moves, as it represents many of the values that are important to the Philippines like nature and life.
  • Some also say that Tinikling represents most of the Filipinos main character traits such as resilience and fun-loving.
  • The Tinikling is recognized as a national dance in the Philippines alongside the Cariñosa dance, and most Filipinos know how to dance it.
  • Now, varied versions of this Filipino traditional folk dance around the world exist —some increased the number of dancers or poles and even adjust the music or choreography.
  • Some schools in the U.S. include this dance into their curriculum using pop music to keep the dance modern.

Tinikling Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Tinikling across 20 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Tinikling worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Tinikling which is the Philippines’ national dance and is a traditional folk dance that originated during the Spanish colonial era. A dance that uses a pair of bamboo poles, Tinikling is considered to be the oldest traditional dance of the country and is also danced across the globe, particularly in the United States.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Tinikling Facts
  • Tinikling What?
  • The Tinikling Origin
  • It’s Story Time!
  • Wordsearch
  • Words to Remember
  • Skills for Performing
  • Dancing Needs
  • Me As Audience
  • The Importance
  • Our Dance

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Link will appear as Tinikling Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, March 16, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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