Origin of the Tinikling Dance
Courtesy of U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Nestor Cruz
Tinikling is a traditional folk dance in the Philippines that has risen in popularity in the US and Canada for its culturally unique dance and ensemble. You probably have seen a few viral videos online with modern versions of the dance. It involves two people handling a beating bamboo pole on the ground with specific rhythm patterns while one or more dancers in the middle avoid the poles while dancing. Dance movements are generally hopping, jumping, and turning with more variations and styles being developed today.
What does this bird and Kobe Bryant have in common?
The buff-banded rail (Gallirallus philippensis)
Courtesy of JJ Harrison. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
The origin of the dance
The term “Tinikling” translates to “to be/perform like tikling”. Which is a local bird in the Visayas islands under the rail bird species, specifically the slaty-breasted rail (Gallirallus striatus), the buff-banded rail (Gallirallus philippensis), and the barred rail (Gallirallus torquatus).
The dance originated in Leyte. It was created in the likeness of how the tikling birds walk and jump over branches as well as dodge traps set by farmers with its long stilt-like legs.
An urban legend also says that the dance was a form of punishment during the Spanish colonial era. Where workers of a plantation who disobeyed orders or worked too slow were made to stand in between two bamboo poles. The poles would then clapped together to beat the feet of the workers. They must jump to avoid the poles.
How does this relate to Kobe Bryant?
In 1998, as an NBA Lockout pushed the start of the season, Kobe visited the Philippines as part of an Adidas promo. In a welcome dinner for Bryant at Manila Peninsula Hotel he wore the traditional “Barong Tagalog” and danced the tinikling. this was his time learning the dance but quickly got his footing. Even with the beat of the song getting faster, Kobe could still keep up with his partner. Watch it here:
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