Brief Description

Pangalay, also known as Igal and Pansak across the Philippines and Malaysia, is a classical Southeast Asian fingernail dance with roots in the Philippines. Across Mainland and Maritime Southeast Asia, related bent-hip fingernail dances with both Austronesian and Indianized influences can be observed–the Fawn Lep of the Lanna in Thailand, the Manora or Nora dance of Southern Thailand and Northern Malaysia, the Tari Tanggai or Gending Sriwijaya among the Sumatrans of Indonesia, and the Pangalay of the Southern Philippines and Malaysia. Despite colonization, the Philippines has preserved art forms that are the direct result of international pre-colonial trade and participation as vassals under older kingdoms of Srivijaya and such.

This workshop is aimed towards traditional and contemporary dancers, as well as those who are simply curious, to foster a continuing re-dialoguing of the Philippines with its historical cousins across the ocean, towards a deeper ASEAN relationship. Spanning a total of two and a half hours, this short course will cover a brief history of the Philippine-Thailand connection through this art form and a practical movement class.

 

Photo by Lattapol Jirapathomsakul