Book Description

This thesis explores the lasting effects of Spanish colonization on contemporary Filipino and Mexican dances. My research was gathered from academic sources about Spanish influence on colonized populations, from sources dealing with questions about dance authenticity, from publications that explain the mechanics of dance and their cultural significance, and from my personal experience as a performer in UC Riverside's Pilipino Culture Night. Through this research, I uncovered how Spanish cultural practices were slowly intermingled with the existing traditions of the Filipino and Aztec natives. This mixing of cultures led to the development of the identity of the mestizo Filipino as well as the mestizo Mexican and also affected several other aspects of life for the colonized peoples, including dance. Specific dance forms displaying the Spanish influence include the Maria Clara suite of dances in the Filipino culture and Mexican folk dances, which originated with the Aztec Indians. Presently, college students in California continue to perform traditional Filipino and Mexican dance forms that illustrate the cultural mixing that occurred during Spanish colonization. However, the authenticity of the folk dances from these two colonized countries is often questioned due to the colonial influences still visible within the dances. I instead argue that the Spanish colonization of both Mexico and the Philippines was an integral part of these countries' histories and cultures that requires acknowledgement. When performers of Mexican and Filipino dances perform Spanish-influenced dances, they do not choose to do so passively; rather, they do so purposefully as an acknowledgement of their culture's history of surviving colonization. My identity and heritage as a fourth-generation Mexican American and my active participation in Filipino dances have given me a dual lens, with which I arrived at my conclusion about purposeful acknowledgement as a form of cultural resistance.