Kinding Sindaw - Dance of Light

Kinding Sindaw is a dance theater ensemble resident of La Mama Experimental Theater since year 2000. Office and rehearsal space is located at 47 East, Great Jones Street , 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10003. This space is provided to Kinding Sindaw by Ellen Stewart ,La Mama , ETC Founder and Artistic Director in support for the group's mission.

Mission Statement

Kinding Sindaw exists to assert, preserve, reclaim, and re-create the traditions of dance, music, martial arts, storytelling, and orature of the indigenous peoples of the Philippines by:

1. Developing a broader repertory of dance and music dramas from several epic myths and legends of the Maranao, T'boli, Yakan, Higaoonon, Tausug, Bagobo, Tiruray, Manobo, Mandaya, Iranun, Talaandig, Samal, Igorot, and other tribes.
2. Asserting the legitimacy of the art and traditions of Philippine indigenous tribes through the presentation of dance and music epics and smaller works which bring to life the historical and contemporary stories of these marginalized peoples.
3. Research, study, adoption, and preservation of the cultural art forms and sacred rituals of these indigenous people.
4. Serving as a resource for history, culture, dance, music, and martial arts of the indigenous peoples of the Philippines.
5. Involving people interested in learning, participating, and growing within the traditions of the Kinding Sindaw community.

Preface

The performing arts of the Philippines is a multi-layered complex resulting from a millennium of various cultural and religious influences, and colonization. The Philippine Archipelago lies at the end of a chain of Southeast Asian islands that share many traits of Malay culture and peoples. In the Philippines there are 62 recognized cultural and linguistic groups among these the Maranao tribe of the south from where Potri Ranka Manis hails. From the 4th to the 10th centuries the Hindu culture pervaded Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma, and extended to the Philippines, through the Indian Shri Vidyayah empire. Through trade, Islamic culture and religion entered the southern Philippines during the 14th Century, and along with significant remnants of Hindu Culture still thrives to this day despite Spanish colonization from the 16th century to the late 19th century, American colonization from 1898 to 1941, and the Japanese invasion during World War II.


Once upon a time…

There was the Dunya Melayu Nusantara, an empire consisting of contemporary Malaysia, Indonesia, South Thailand, and The Philippines. Though this ancient civilization no longer exists, it's rich cultural tradition of song, dance, storytelling, and martial art has been preserved through the work of Kinding Sindaw. Kinding Sindaw is an ancient Maranao term which means "Dance of Light." This was founded in 1992 by Potri Ranka Manis, the Bai Labi a Gaus of Borocot , Maguing the 15th Pagawidan of the Pat Pangempong Ko Ranao. The Maranao or Meranao or People of the Lake are one of the 13 major ethnolinguistic tribe of Mindanao, Philippines.


The Company

The dances of Kinding Sindaw originate from the royal court dances of the Maranao Sultanate- a repertory of the sacred, classic, and secular combining grace and vigor, dances that directly reflect their rich natural environment. Dancers imitate the graceful movements of birds, fish, butterflies, rivers, streams, and ocean trekking boats, celebrate fertility in vigorous choreography, sway delicately using colorful fans and scarves, and dramatically inspire through the martial art of silat.

The musical accompaniment is performed on a variety of percussion instruments, including the kulintang, a tuned bronze kettle drum set, known more commonly in the West as gamelan, a variety of hanging gongs which include the bossed agong and the unbossed gandingan and bababdir, and the dabakan, a cylindrical drums. These instruments are played as an ensemble and were prototypes for the instruments of the gamelan ensembles of Java and Bali. Other instruments of the Mindanao cultures include the salunay- a polychordal bamboo tube zither, the kudlung- a two-stringed lute, and kubing- a bamboo jaws harp.

Kinding Sindaw Members:

Potri Ranka Manis - Artistic Director...bio
Nur Nonilon Queano - Musical Director, Master Teacher...bio
Hannah Alcasid
Amira Aziza
Diane Camino
Kasey Kim Cruz
Casey de Leon
Bernadette Ellorin
Doy Hatta
Johanna Kiamzon
Gary Labao
Annie Llamas
Zeana Llamas
Don C. Makowski
Perry Mamaril
Brian Ortega
Guro Frank Ortega
Lisa Parker
Malaika Yasmin Queano
AJ Roca
Amalia Suryani
Anisha Guro
Angela Torregoza
Kim Toscano
Thomas "Jason" Trinidad
Rose Yapching
Joseph Ocasio
Renia Gardner
Christopher Jornales
Daniel Kaufman
Carlos Almerante
Emil Matt Almerante