Asik
Definition
Asik is a solo royal dance of the Maguindanao people of Mindanao, performed by a woman carrying a decorated umbrella and a scarf, characterized by graceful shuffling steps, swirling of the scarf, and poses imitating the movements of a bird. Traditionally it served as a dance of respect or a prelude performed before larger royal dances.
Identities (Wikipedia/Wikidata/DBpedia)
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asik
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4806944
- DBpedia: N/A
Also Known As
Asik dance; royal dance of Maguindanao.
Examples and Analogies
Watching asik can be likened to a slow-motion duet between dancer and fabric: the umbrella and scarf orbit the performer the way ribbons trail a rhythmic gymnast, while bent-knee walks suggest a bird preening on a branch. In contemporary folk-dance programming it is often staged as an interlude before the better-known Singkil.
Usage Scenarios
Asik appears in cultural nights, school folk-dance festivals, and theater productions of Philippine traditional dance companies, and it is taught in dance ethnology courses as an example of Maguindanao court aesthetics. The soloist traditionally performs it to honor guests or open a program of royal dances.
Strategies
Dancers train for control of the umbrella and scarf through slow conditioning, since the piece’s difficulty lies in sustained low stances and continuous flowing arm paths rather than speed. Stagers pair it with kulintang and agung music to preserve its court character.
Security and Safety Measures
Practitioners ensure performance floors are even and dry to prevent slips during shuffling steps, and secure the umbrella’s frame and decorations so parts cannot fly toward audiences.
Historical Context
Asik entered the documented Philippine dance canon through ethnographic fieldwork among the Maguindanao in the twentieth century and gained wider visibility through university folk-dance companies that research and stage Mindanao repertoire. Its “umbrella dance” motif connects it to a family of Southeast Asian courtly solo dances.
Challenges and Controversies
Folk-dance scholars debate the fidelity of staged versions, cautioning that theatrical adaptations can blur the dance’s ceremonial context within Maguindanao court custom. Advocates push for crediting culture bearers when the piece is commercialized.