Sayaw Filipino: A Study of contrasting representations of Philippine culture by the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group and the Bayanihan Philippine National Folkdance Company

Abstract

This study examines two state-sponsored folkdance companies in the Philippines, namely the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group (ROFG) and the Bayanihan National Folkdance Company. My objective in this study is: to show how these companies have emerged and developed as they have and how their existence alongside each other undergird the development of the cultural and artistic scene in the Philippines; to show the logic behind having two national folkdance companies, and; to convey the uniqueness of the ROFG, its approach to dance, pedagogic style, and aesthetic principles, its philosophy of representation, and most importantly, its notions of Filipino identity. Although I also draw on archival and library sources and interviews with Obusan and others, this study is largely based on my insights as a non-Filipino (i.e., Japanese) dancer in the ROFG and I use personal bodily transformation as a source in analyzing the past and the present of Philippine folkdance.