The pangalay dance style of the philippines.

1. Among philippine indigenous dances, the pangalay dance style has the richest movement vocabulary. It is the closest to a classical form.

2. A living artifact such as the pangalay must be danced constantly, or else it dies.

3. The beauty of the pangalay dance style is that it can be danced to any type of music-asian as well as western.

4. The pangalay can be danced by anyone and everyone in the community, regardless of age or status. It can be danced in any space-be it on a boat, on a house-porch or on the beach.

5. The dancer's torso is slightly bent forward, a stance seen in asian dance forms, unnecessary hip and torso movement is tabbo. The knees are slightly bent or flexed. Male dancers also splay the knees. Performers achieve the illusion of lightness by the very subtle springing motion from the knees.

6. Pangalay: literally, a gift offering palangay also means "temple of dance" in sanskrit. Pangalay antedes christianity and islam in the philippines.

7. Pangalay is a living link to the traditional dance cultures of asia with closest affinity to the indian, javanese, thai, burmese and cambodian styles of classical dancing.

8. Pangalay is basically pure dancing. A sense of anti-linear time pervades the slow, refined, meditative, elegant and almost hypnotic movements.

9. "Motion in stillness, stillness in motion - this is pangalay.