” He left his school, his barangay, his town with an empty Blog experience…but he will return  full of learnings.”

KURATSA -  Kuratsa Binisaya from Tacloban Leyte‘ found on the book Philippine Folk Dances V.1 by Francisa Reyes-Aquino. It is highly favored by the Visayan people especially the Waray people of the Eastern Visayan region in the Philippines. Strictly speaking, only one couple dance it at a time.

Philippine dance researchers, however, point either to the “Kigal” and the “Bikal” as the ‘ascendant’ of the Kuratsa. The Kigal (spelled “Quigal” in early Spanish writings on Samar culture and lifeways) is a sort battle-of-sexes couple dance that imitate mating birds. The Kigal is in fact called by another name: Binanug or Kiglun (Kigalun?) that’s according to a 17th century Samarnon dictionary by Jesuit missionary to Samar, Fr. Alcazar. It is interesting that Banug is the Waray word for the Hawk.

The Bikal is rather believed to be the fore runner of the Waray Balitaw because of the strict emphasis on “joust” of impromptu songs interspersed with dancing. The bikal is survived by the Ismaylingay and many versions of this art is preserved by aging “magsiriday” in Samar and to a lesser extent Leyte.

Popular versions of this dance exist in Samar can be classified as the Kuratsa Menor (the usual favorite) and the many versions of the daring Kuratsa Mayor. New genres of Kuratsa evolved as a result of necessity, like-as the name implies- Kuratsa kanan Kadam-an and a very funny Kuratsa nga Pinayungan appropriate for rainy days.

The most intelligible explanation that I have known so far is that Curacha is dance of courtship between a man and a woman which echoes the behavior of the chicken.

Indeed, the explanation above is a reflection of a dance itself. Curacha is already part of the tradition of the Sulatnons such that the same is always part of any gathering. What is peculiar in the dance is that the performers and the town people would literally scatter money which is called `gala` in the dialect.

The dance is a form of recognition to the performers. Hence, visitors are usually given the chance to dance Curacha.

the bloggers	the priest and the the writer	the Chancellors
excellente	the general	the dancer
the serious men	the big man	the gwapings