PROGRAMME
NOTES

PROGRAMME I:

THE IGOROT SUITE - Dances of the Mountain People

In the mountains of northern Luzon island still live pagan folk preserving their tribal identity, customs and lore.  Their dances celebrate victories, festivals, religious rituals & thanksgiving.  The musical instruments include the nose flute, bamboo guitar, gongs of various sizes and shapes, drums and wooden sticks.


PROGRAMME II:

THE MOROLANDIA SUITE - Dances of Southern Philippines

In the southern part of the Philippines, on the large island of Mindanao and the adjacent Sulu archipelago, live more than 10 million Muslim Filipinos.  These Filipinos embraced Mohammedanism as early as the 14th Century and have successfully resisted attempts at Christianization.  They differ markedly in customs, music and dances from the balance of the Philippine population.


PROGRAMME III:

THE FIL-HISPANIC SUITE

The coming of the Spaniards in the 15th Century brought a new influence to Philippjne life.  The national boundaries of the country were established and a majority of the Filipinos were converted to the Roman Catholic faith.  European cultural ideas spread and the Filipinos adapted and blended these Western imports to conform to local patterns.  In the field of music and dance, the waltz, polka, jota, fandango and mazurka among others, were Filipinized.

PROGRAMME IV:

THE RURAL PHILIPPINE SUITE - Dances of the Rice-Growing Countryside

Life in the rural Philippines, today as in the past, is comparatively simple and pleasant.  In a country abundantly blessed by nature, there is much to celebrate in music, songs and dances.  Dances in the rice-growing countryside express the people's joy in work, love for music and celebration, thanskgiving for a good harvest or simply for the joy of it.