FRANCISCA REYES was born in Lolomboy, Bocaue, in the Philippine Province of Bulacan, on March 9, 1899, the eldest of three children of Felipe Reyes and Juliana Santos Reyes of Manila. A product of the public schools, her early education was received in the Meisic Elementary School, Tondo Intermediate School and Manila High School in Tondo, Manila. She obtained her High School Teacher's Certificate (H.S.T.C.) in 1923 and her Bachelor of Science in Education degree in 1924 from the University of the Philippines (U.P.), the state university.

An enterprising teacher, Miss REYES began her search for folk dances to use in classes while a Student Assistant in Physical Education from 1921 to 1923 and an Assistant Instructor the following year. One of the most popular forms of expression among Filipinos, the dances offered good exercise. They also taught students much about their country, as each dance bore a characteristically Philippine personality molded by the history and geography of the Islands. Looking initially in the countryside around Manila, she had quickly seen that with further impact of Western culture many dances would be lost or extensively modified. Upon graduation becoming Assistant Physical Directress in U.P., she took up the idea given her by the late Francisco Benitez, then the Dean of the College of Education, and embarked upon what was a bold venture for that time, making folk dancing the subject of her graduate study.

The public in the 1920's was generally indifferent to folk arts, for the process of Westernization was in full stream. Little material on dances existed in writing, excepting a few early records of such events as Magellan in 1521 being entertained by "adept dancing maidens accompanied by their menfolk on crude musical instruments" and later chronicles mentioning various ancient and modern dances adapted by the Filipino who was "naturally given to music." Extensive travel would be required to the least developed regions not penetrated by modern communications bringing new fashions of entertainment, and Miss REYES had no outside financial help.

By stringent budgeting she managed over nearly every weekend and holiday for the next two years to make trips to remote barrios (rural communities) in Central and Northern Luzon. Winning the confidence of the people and making careful notes of their unrecorded forms of celebration, ritual and sport, she then applied and tested her research in historical pageants presented at University carnivals. Awarded a Master of Arts degree from the U.P. in 1926, her thesis became a published collection entitled Philippine Folk Dances and Games, arranged specifically for use by teachers and playground instructors in public and private schools.

Dr. Regino R. Ylanan, then U.P. Director of Physical Education, described the work "of great value in many respects: (1) it serves as a source of information for Filipinos and foreigners who are not familiar with the Philippine country folk dances; (2) it serves to open the way for modification and adaptions of our native dances to nomenclatures and techniques which are understood the world over; (3) it serves to disseminate the knowledge of country folk dances throughout the Islands so that dances which are well-known only in certain localities will eventually be adapted by children throughout the archipelago." Alluding to the submerged status of native customs and traditions, Dr. Ylanan lauded the "great determination" of the researcher "to complete this distinct contribution to physical education in the Philippines" at a time when "studies along this line are not yet fully appreciated in the Islands."

The value of Miss REYES' original research, recognized early by the discerning director, was to grow through wide use in subsequent years, helping to give Filipinos an understanding of themselves and their rich heritage. "With their background of folk costumes, customs, art, music and legend" and "their distinct personality made up of our temperament, idiosyncrasies and inherent traits as well as traditions as a people," she explained, "the dances represent a vital picture of our national life and culture."

In her first and later collections, the great diversity of dance type, tempo and music reflected a many-faceted Filipino character. From Negritos and similar aboriginal peoples in the mountains of western Luzon, Panay and other islands came primitive dances and music made by crude jew's harps of bamboo, flutes of mountain cane and bamboo violins with abaca strings. Pagan tribes of Malay stock, who were the builders of the famed rice terraces in the high mountains of northern Luzon, had preserved many festive and ritual dances accompanied by nose flutes, bamboo guitars, gongs of various sizes and shapes, drums and wooden sticks. Clearly bearing Arabic and Indo-Malayan influences were the music, dances and costumes of Filipino Muslims living on the southernmost island of Mindanao and the adjacent Sulu Archipelago, whose ancestors had embraced Islam as early as the 14th century.

Spanish and European influences were strong among the lowland people throughout the Islands, the majority of whose forebears were converted to the Christian faith after the coming of the Spaniards in the 16th century. Adapting European music, dance and costumes into their native culture, all were Filipinized. Reminiscently Spanish were the popular Pandanggos and Habaneras. In Tarlac, for the Jota Moncadeña, castanets were replaced by bamboo pieces, the elegance of carriage was kept, and Spanish and Ilocano steps were blended into softer, freer and more fluid movements than the original Spanish Jota. The polka and waltz were combined into the Polkabal. Borrowings from England resulted in the Ba-Ingles of Ilocos Sur. Leyte's Alcamphor was traceable to the French minuet, and the stately Rigodon, danced today at formal balls, was taken from the Rigaudon introduced at the court of Louis XIII of France. The Jarabes was a Mexican importation, the Redoba of German origin, the Lanceros of Laguna from an American square dance called Lancers, the Birginia from the Virginia Reel.

Aside from foreign influences, there were many regional variations. Dances of the mountain people tended to be more energetic, those in the hotter lowlands generally were "slow, tender, weird and even dreamy." People living near the sea sang and danced about fishing, rowing their bangkas, or boats, in the rivers or sailing their paraos on the open seas. In the coconut areas, shells of the nut were used in some dances; in the mining regions, gold-panning was a popular theme. Dances of the rice-growing regions depicted rice planting, harvesting, pounding and winnowing. The often gay and boisterous dances of Visayan, Tagalog and Bicol regions bespoke an abundant life; in Ilocos, where life was harder and money scarce, dances were slower and sometimes mournful.

Though the forms differed greatly, apparent among all groups and regions were a common love of music and rhythmic movement and a sense of play. Each had songs and dances of thanksgiving, birth, death, love, matrimony, war and victory. They danced to depict the dignity of labor, to express gaiety and laughter, sorrow and disappointment, for the birds in their fields or simply for a nice day.

In all groups was found a Filipino liking for ritual. Among Christians, ceremonial dances were performed during town fiestas and religious events such as Easter and Ash Wednesday. The pagans had ritualistic dances to court the rain or the favors of their anitos (spirits) or to drive evil spirits away. Among Muslims, young warriors celebrated in dance their training for manhood, and every woman of royal blood was expected to learn the Singkil.

A "divergence of privileges" among Filipinos could be seen in variations in a basic dance in the same locality. Carrying through regional and social differences, however, were recognizable common practices such as gift giving in cash or in kind in both Christian and non-Christian wedding dances. The peoples' characteristic hospitality was shown in dances wherein a crown of flowers was offered to the guest or honored visitors were invited to open a dance.

The native dances followed the traditional Filipino way of expressing love at arms length, evidencing "shy, secretive qualities." Partners invariably were far apart or, if hands were held, the males provided handkerchiefs or the women were furnished with fans to avoid direct contact. In keeping with a concept common to all groups of women as modest and reserved and men as brave and strong, the dance movements for women were generally demure, coy and languid and for men more dynamic.

Attesting to a faculty for creative adaptability and graceful assimilation of aboriginal, oriental and occidental influences, the dances inspired the confidence of Filipinos in the distinctiveness and vigor of their cultural blend. For a nation composed of over 7,000 islands and numerous ethnic groups, the spreading of folk dances and songs also became a unifying factor contributing to a sense of national identity. Anticipating the urge to revive the past which would come with independence, the presentation of these dances at all sorts of social gatherings spurred the modern study of folk culture.

From 1929 to 1931, Miss REYES' teaching and research were interrupted by two years of study at Boston University as a U.P. Fellow. Receiving a Certificate in Physical Education (C.P.E.), the experience broadened her professional interest in the dance as an art form and also equipped her for more intensive field research upon her return.

Back as Assistant Physical Directress at U.P., Miss REYES was married in 1934 to Professor Ramon P. Tolentino, Jr., then Assistant Director of the Department of Physical Education, who shared her dream of promoting Philippine folk dances in the physical education curriculum of schools. In that same year, when the study of folk arts had become too expensive for the University Department of Physical Education to finance, U.P. President Jorge Bocobo gave tangible support to FRANCISCA REYES TOLENTINO's research proposal, enabling her, her husband and a University colleague, Antonio Buenaventura, to study native dances in Mindanao, Leyte and Mountain Province and record songs with the aid of a Victor recording machine. The expedition gathered material on 38 folk dances and 33 songs and airs. This research inspired compositions by Mr. Buenaventura and other members of the music faculty and a number of public performances which President Bocobo enthusiastically endorsed. The Tinikling, found in Leyte—danced between rapidly clapped, bamboo poles and named after a long-legged bird, the tikling, seen in rice paddies—has since become a national favorite of both children and adults.

An even more fruitful expedition followed in 1935, when complete notes were made on 33 folk songs and dances in Mountain Province, eight in Ilocos Norte, 14 in 11ocos Sur and four in Abra. Some 18 folk songs were recorded and collections made of native costumes and musical instruments.

The "discovery," study and presentation of folk songs and dances, started by the folk art pioneers, gained rapid momentum in the historic year of the founding of the Philippine Commonwealth. A recital of native songs was attended by the renowned pianist Artur Rubinstein. Among the 20 performances of folk songs and dances given by U.P. students during 1935 and 1936, those rendered in pageants at the Commonwealth inauguration and the Carnival Auditorium appropriately instilled in large audiences of Filipinos pride in their own all but forgotten forms of artistic expression. In his annual report President Bocobo observed: "In all these programs, much encouragement was given to Philippine songs and dances and the audiences were favorably impressed. In this connection, the remarkable leadership of Professor FRANCISCA REYES TOLENTINO in fostering the Philippine-folk dances should be mentioned."

Mrs. TOLENTINO served on the U.P. President's Advisory Committee on Folk Dances and Songs from 1934 to 1938 and was promoted, in 1935, to Physical Director for Women at U.P. Concentrating her efforts in Manila during her daughter's formative years, she organized the U.P. Folk Song-Dance Troupe, in 1937, and was director for two terms.

After 18 years with the University, the Bureau of Education, in 1939, requested her services on special detail and then on a full-time basis as Supervisor of Physical Education, where she served until 1947. In this period, the Bureau distributed her work and adopted the teaching of folk dancing as a medium of making young Filipinos aware of their cultural heritage. Turning the far-flung public school system to good advantage in another way, her study of folk dances of the different regions was facilitated by enlisting the help of Division Superintendents in gathering together in each locality persons—mostly old folks—who were able to demonstrate the dances which were a legacy from their forebears. An, unusual number "discovered" in this manner in Surigao was Itik-itik. Originating from a dance called Sibay and performed to the tune of "Dejado," the story was told that an expert young dancer at a barrio baptismal party had become so carried away with the rhythm that she began to improvise short, choppy steps similar to ducks when they call attention to drakes nearby and then splash water on their backs. After publication, the dance immediately became popular for stage performances and social dancing.

Typical of her willingness to make an extra effort so that others might know her country better, Mrs. TOLENTINO organized the Filipiniana Folk Dance Troupe which performed for servicemen as a part of the U.S. Army Special Services for seven months in 1945.

Equally anxious to extend folk culture into private as well as public schools, she had previously accepted invitations to teach after working hours at Jose Rizal College, Philippine Women's College (now University) and Far Eastern University (FEU). She also taught at National University and Centro Escolar University after World War II.

She was a Supervisor of Physical Education in the Bureau of Education (now Bureau of Public Schools) from 1939 to 1947. Appointed Acting Superintendent of Physical Education in 1955, this position she still holds. As work permitted, she has also taught special classes at FEU and the National College of Physical Education.

The death of her husband, in 1939, after four and half years of a close personal and professional partnership, tested Mrs. TOLENTINO's devotion to her self-imposed mission to enrich Philippine culture by the propagation of performing folk arts. Her faith, her daughter and her deep interest in her lifework, however, carried her through this personal loss to greater achievements. As a widow she weathered the difficulties of the Japanese Occupation, exchanging clothes, furniture and silverware for rice and carrying successfully heavy administrative duties in the then Bureau of Education. In 1947, she was married to Serafin Aquino, now secretary-treasurer of the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation, an enthusiastic collaborator in presentation of his wife's work.

In 1949, FRANCISCA REYES AQUINO founded the Philippine Folk Dance Society to bring together physical education students, teachers, administrators and individuals interested in folk dancing. The Society sponsors a dance clinic, under Mrs. AQUINO's supervision, which conducts weekly training classes and develops new materials from the field. Chapters have been formed in eight provinces (Bulacan, Pangasinan, Rizal, Laguna, Iloilo, Surigao, Nueva Vizcaya and Romblon), five cities (Manila, Pasay, Quezon City, Dagupan and Iloilo), and the Philippine-UN Community Training Center at Bayambang, evidencing wide support of the Society's objectives, which are: "(1) to promote nationalism through the dissemination of things purely Philippine; (2) to propagate authentic Philippine folk dance, a tradition so rich in culture; (3) to foster true fellowship and promote goodwill and common understanding; (4) to enrich our knowledge of native folk dances and (5) to preserve the traditional characteristics of the Philippine folk dances among the present and future generations." In formulating these objectives, Mrs. AQUINO was institutionalizing her work for others to carry on. To those who know her contribution, they are also a definition of her own purpose and achievements as scholar, instructor, advocate and organizer in the field of performing folk arts.

Persistent and seemingly tireless, Mrs. AQUINO continues to take plane, boat, car, bus and carretela (horse drawn carriage) from Ilocos in the north to southernmost Jolo in her never-ending search for yet undiscovered examples of Filipino culture in folk art form. She does not hesitate to do the arduous, if rewarding, work involved in persuading people to share their songs and dances, learning herself the movements, steps and rhythm through countless-repetitions and translating them into a permanent record for teaching and dissemination.

A stickler for authenticity, Mrs. AQUINO has repeatedly expressed concern over a current practice among dance enthusiasts of introducing sophisticated embellishments of costume and movement in a "sincere but hazardous" effort to improve upon an art which has a particular charm of its own. "Whereas 35 years ago," she commented, "our dances were faced with extinction, they are now threatened with distortion." Of the stylized dancing and other innovations adopted by some troupes, she has remarked: "If their aim is to please, they can go ahead." She, however, sternly objects if their performances are represented as genuine folk art.

Her productive labors have earned her such sobriquets as "Mother," "Dean," "Savior" and "Champion" of Filipino folk dances and recognition as their foremost exponent. In addition to contributions to magazines and dance programs too numerous to recount, she is the author of widely circulated works: the abovementioned Philippine Folk Dances and Games, Gymnastics for Girls, Philippine Folk Dances (Vols. I-IV), Foreign Folk Dances, Dances for all Occasions, Playground Demonstration, Fundamentals of Dance Steps and Music, and Rhythmic Activities. So far the only books available on Philippine folk dancing, several have been adopted as texts for physical education teachers and students in schools throughout the Philippines and as basic references by professional dance groups.

Having given vital impetus to the cultural revival of the last decade, which has been a veritable dance-and-song renaissance, Mrs. AQUINO has had the satisfaction of seeing the general rejoicing over folk dances at home amplified by the repeated successes of the several Filipino dance troupes that have toured the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Near East in the last seven years. The organizers and directors of such groups as the Bayanihan of Philippine Women's University, the Far Eastern University troupe, the Barangay of the Philippine Normal College and Filipinescas acknowledge their debt to Mrs. AQUINO for much of the original material and inspiration. For those dances included in their repertoires which were not found in Mrs. AQUINO 's books, these groups have undertaken new research.

While Mrs. AQUINO 's greatest recognition is in the wide application of her works, other acknowledgements have been a Doctor of Science in Physical Education (honoris causa) conferred upon her, in 1949, by Boston University and, in 1954, the Republic Award of Merit given by the late President Ramon Magsaysay for "outstanding contribution toward the advancement of Filipino culture." In 1959, a Doctor of Humanities (honoris causa) from Far Eastern University was followed by a Cultural Award from the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines. In 1961, she received an Award from the U.P. Department of Physical Education, the Rizal Pro-Patria Award and the Certificate of Merit from the Bulacan Teachers Association.

Active in organizations whose programs relate to her work, Mrs. AQUINO was a member of the Women's Athletic Committee of the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation from 1940 to 1954 and again in 1955-56. She has also served on the Curriculum Committee of the National College of Physical Education, the National YMCA Board in 1945-46, the Entertainment Committee of the International Society for Education in 1960, and has been a member of the United Nations Association of the Philippines from 1956 to date.

Through recent travels, though in her late fifties and early sixties and a grandmother of five, she has introduced valued aspects of the Filipino heritage to many abroad. Mrs. AQUINO was in charge of the folk dance festival for the First Regional Music Conference of Southeast Asia held in Manila, in 1955, and was dance director of the First Philippine Cultural Mission to the Republic of China, in January 1957, and to Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore, Malaya, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Guam and the Marianas in August-September of that year. Program consultant in music and dancing for the Girl Scouts of the Philippines from 1957, she was a member of the Subcommittee on Philippine Program for the Girl Scouts Regional Centenary World Camp held that year in the Philippines. In 1958, she was Philippine delegate to the Third Asian Congress on Physical Education in Tokyo and Chairman of the Committee on Philippine Dances for the Boy Scouts 10th World Jamboree at Mount Makiling, Philippines.

Named a member of the International Council on Health, Physical Education and Recreation of the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession (WCOTP) in 1958, she attended the 1959 Convention in Washington, D.C. as delegate of the Philippine Public School Teachers Association (PPSTA). She also represented the PPSTA at the Second Biennial Conference of the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines in Manila in 1959, serving as member of the Commission on Cultural Activities. In 1960, she was a member of the official Philippine delegation to the XVIIth Olympiad in Rome. Under a cultural exchange program she visited the United States and Canada from May-October 1961, attending the Fourth International Congress of the Association of Physical Education and Sports for Girls and Women, of which she has been a member of the Executive Board since 1954, and working with folk groups from Maine to Santa Barbara. In 1962, she was one of the official Philippine delegates to the Fourth Asian Congress on Physical Education in Djakarta.

Summing up the modest woman whose full career had been recounted in a recent interview, a reporter said: "Mrs. AQUINO does not make too much of what she has done." In the finest sense a public servant, she has directed her talents toward meeting a particular need of her time, giving her people joyful appreciation of the unity in diversity from which their Republic derives strength.

August 1962
Manila

REFERENCES:

Aquino, Francisca Reyes, and Urtula, Lucrecia R. "Dances of the Philippines." Philippine Quarterly. Vol. II, no. 1, October-November, 1961.

Aquino, Francisca Reyes. Philippine Folk Dances. Vol. 4, 1960.

______. "Philippine Folk Dancing." Panorama. July, 1959.

Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company. Program. May, 1960.

Curriculum Vitae (Francisca Reyes Aquino).

Flores, A. Oliver "Champion of the Folk Dance." Sunday Times Magazine, November 15, 1959.

Letters from: Mary Ann Herman, Director, Maine Folk Dance Camp; Alma M. Hawkins, Associate Professor of Physical Education, Los Angeles, University of California; Dorothy S. Ainsworth, President, International Association of Physical Education and Sports for Girls & Women.

Peña, Babs. "Folk Dance Authority Speaks as a Housewife." Manila Times. November 11, 1959.

Philippines. Department of Education. Official Records.

Philippines. University. Official Records.