Princess Gandingan is the central character of the Singkil Dance
March 2014: On a single night, I witnessed 3 different versions of Singkil, the most popular ethnic dance among the ethnic tribes of Mindanao. The dance tells the story of the lovely Princess Gandingan whose struggles against evil is portrayed by her having to dance across and step in and out of rapidly closing and opening pairs of bamboo poles. This is the second version which I found equally entertaining as the first, especially as the clapping of the bamboo poles builds into a crescendo and the character of the princess deftly but gracefully steps in and out of the crashing poles.
Pretty, fan-wielding ladies are part of Princess Gandingan’s court
Also part of the princess’ court are other ladies whose movements are equally graceful
As the bamboo poles open and close faster, the Princess had adjust her steps so as not to get her toes clipped
And then it was time for a brief pause before the Princess steps into the crashing poles once again.