Philippine Folk Dances at Barbara's: Tinikling, Singkil & More Explained
You're sitting in a beautifully lit Spanish-era dining hall in Intramuros. The buffet has been generous. The kare-kare was everything it promised to be. And now the lights dim slightly, a gong sounds from somewhere offstage, and a group of performers in traditional costumes walks onto the floor.
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You're sitting in a beautifully lit Spanish-era dining hall in Intramuros. The buffet has been generous. The kare-kare was everything it promised to be. And now the lights dim slightly, a gong sounds from somewhere offstage, and a group of performers in traditional costumes walks onto the floor.
If you've never seen Philippine folk dance performed live before, the next hour is going to surprise you.
The Buffet with Cultural Show at Barbara's Heritage Restaurant isn't background entertainment. It's a proper cultural performance and one that has been running every single day for over a decade showcasing dances from across the Philippines, each one tied to a specific region, people, and story. The more you know going in, the richer the experience coming out.
Here's your guide to the dances you're likely to see.
Tinikling
Origin: Leyte, Visayas What it represents: The movement of the tikling bird stepping between grass stems and bamboo traps in the rice fields.
No dance in the Philippine repertoire is more iconic or more recognisable than Tinikling. It's the national folk dance of the Philippines, and for good reason: it's athletic, rhythmic, joyful, and deceptively difficult to execute!
Two performers hold bamboo poles flat on the ground, clapping them together in a steady beat while one or two dancers step in and out of the gap between the poles, timing each footstep to land in the space between claps. The footwork is quick and precise, and the best performances make it look almost effortless. Spoiler alert: it isn't.
What makes Tinikling special at Barbara's is how you can participate and try it at the end of the show. Everyone’s invited onto the floor to try it themselves. Most people approach with confidence and leave with a deep respect for the performers. It's a highlight of the evening and is genuinely funny, surprisingly physical, and the kind of moment that ends up in a lot of travel videos.
What to watch for: The synchronisation between the pole holders and the dancer. The rhythm and beat of the poles. Once you hear it, you can't unhear it.
Singkil
Origin: Maranao people, Lake Lanao, Mindanao What it represents: A princess navigating a forest during an earthquake, guided by a royal attendant.
If Tinikling is the most fun dance of the evening, Singkil is the most breathtaking.
Rooted in the epic poem Darangen, the Maranao retelling of the Hindu Ramayana, Singkil tells the story of Princess Gandingan making her way through a forest shaken by an earthquake. The bamboo poles are arranged in a cross pattern on the floor, clapping in multiple directions simultaneously. The dancer moves between all four quadrants with a fan in each hand, her movements fluid and unhurried, as if the quaking earth beneath her is simply a minor inconvenience.
The costume is equally spectacular with layers of silk in jewel tones, a gold headdress, and the wide silk fans that the dancer uses to frame and punctuate every movement. Singkil is the kind of dance where you find yourself holding your breath without realising it.
What to watch for: A well-trained Singkil dancer maintains perfect composure throughout with serene expression, steady gaze, complete stillness in the upper body while her feet navigate the poles below. The contrast between the chaos of the clapping bamboo and the calm of the dancer is the whole point.
A Note on the Full Show
The specific dances performed on any given night may vary as the Kultura Filipina show has a rotating repertoire that may also include other regional dances beyond the ones covered here. What stays constant is the quality of the performance and the intention behind it: to give every Filipino or foreign guest a genuine, living encounter with the breadth of Philippine cultural heritage.
The performers at Barbara's are trained dancers who take this work seriously. They've been doing this every night for years. That consistency shows.
See It for Yourself
Reading about Tinikling is one thing. Watching a dancer step between clapping bamboo poles at full speed, in perfect time, while making it look like a Sunday stroll… Well, that's something you have to be in the room for.
The Buffet with Cultural Show runs nightly at Barbara's Heritage Restaurant in Intramuros, Manila. Dinner starts at 6:30 PM, show at 7:30 PM. Reservations recommended.
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