Binasuan

Binasuan literally means "with the use of drinking glasses". This dance originated
in Pangasinan Province. It is a vibrant dance requiring balancing skills. Glasses filled with rice
wine are placed on the head and on each hand and carefully maneuvered with graceful
movements. This dance is commonly performed in weddings, fiestas and special occasions.
Danced to show balance and to reflect rural gaiety, Binasuan is performed usually in wedding
ceremonies and occasions in the barangay.

Philippine dances in the Philippines are known for its creativity, and one such
dance in the country that shouts creativity is the Binasuan. This dance is a local dance rooted in
the culture of the Pangasinense people- people from the northern Philippine province of
Pangasinan. In this province, the term 'binasuan' stands for something. In the local dialect, this
term refers to the use of a drinking glass. With that in mind it can be easy to deduce that the
dance from this province is executed with the use of drinking glasses. To be more specific, this
dance is popular and has its roots in Bayamabang, one of the towns in Pangasinan province.

What this dance shows is graceful movements on the part of the dancer, balance
and some amount of skills. Dancing is done with the help of three glasses that are half-full with
water, with the first glass on top of her head and the two other glasses on both palms of the hand.
Balance and skill is shown when the dancer maneuvers for a turn sit or roll without spilling the
water or dropping any of the three glasses to the floor. The typical arrangement in this dance
calls for one girl though there will be times when three or more are called upon to perform.

As with other Filipino dances, this dance from Bayambang will call for a costume,
the right count and music and the formation of the dancers just before the dance is started.

. Costume. In terms of costume, the dance calls for the Balintawak costume with the tapis and
the pañuelo.

. Music. The music used in this dance is composed of two parts and then danced to the tune of
Pitoy Oras.

. Count. Count is important and in this dance one, two or three to a measure is used.

. Formation. The dance starts with the dancer or the dancers enters the hall from one side of the
room, stops at the center then faces the audience.

The dance will start that way, with the dancers coming at one side of the room and
then moving to the center hall and then facing the audience. While they are moving towards the
center of the hall, the music A is played for the first time. Dancing this local dance of the north
requires some steps that should not be take out of the program otherwise the program will lose its
identity.
The following are the general steps on how to dance this local tradition.

. Dancers start with the right foot and she should take eight waltz steps forward to
the center of the hall. The glasses should be held in front and the elbows should be close to the
waist. The right hand should be moved next to the chest and down the hips alternately as the left
hand moves down at the hip level ad goes up to the chest level in an alternating manner. The
alternating movements of the two hands will go on for the next eight measures.

. Music A will then play for the second time and this will be the times when the
dancer will dance sideward right and left alternately and doing this for eight times. The right
hand will be raised to the head level and the left hand will be held to the waist as the dancer
continues to waltz sideward to the right. The dancer will chance position with every measure.
Again the movements of the left and the right hand will alternate upward and downward as with
previous step.

. Music B of the program will then play and this will be the time when the dancer
will start on her right foot and she will take four waltz steps obliquely to the right. She then
raises the right hand obliquely to head level with the left hand down to the hip for four measures.
Hands once again move upward and downward on alternating motions.

These movements are just the first half of the dance and a few more steps are
required in order to complete the program. The Binasuan dance of the north will simply utilize
the abovementioned steps and repeat these steps on the second half of the dance. At times, some
new steps are introduced like the placing of weights at either the right or the left foot of the
dancer, all with the intention of dancing gracefully without dropping the glass.