Although the main focus of the training at the Goducate learning centers in Sabah is literacy, we try to give the children an all-round education, which includes character building, livelihood skills, sports, and the arts.
Three years ago the children at the main Goducate learning center in Sabah started to learn Pakiring, a traditional dance popular in the southern Philippines and Sabah. They were taught by one of the mothers, who had been a Pakiring dancer in the southern Philippines before she moved to Sabah several decades ago. Her classes were held at her house and attended by the students at our center and by some other children attending the government school. In 2011, 4 of this teacher’s teenage pupils won first prize in a Pakiring contest in town. This year, we plan to have Pakiring contests during Hari Raya Aidil Fitri at our learning centers, and the winners from the various centers will compete at our main center.
Pakiring is variant of Pangalay, a traditional dance of the Tausug tribe in Sulu Archipelago and the Badjao tribe in Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines. Pakiring is commonly performed at weddings and other festive gatherings. Dancing Pakiring emphasizes the agility of the upper body and rhythmic bounce of the shoulder with simultaneous alternating waving of arms. It also emphasizes the movement of the hips (Kiring- Kiring), and it requires flexibility of the shoulders, elbows and wrists, all of which make it a very distinctive Asian dance.
Dancing comes naturally for most children, and it can help them develop cognitive, social, and creative skills. Learning their traditional dance helps them to appreciate their own culture. It will also divert their attention from some of the unhealthy activities that youngsters at a loose end get into. Besides, it’s fun.
