LAVEZARES: One of Calbayog's Folk Dances

The Lavezares is a beautiful folk dance from Samar. The dance came from the municipality of Lavezares, Northern Samar province, hence, the name. The dance is also known to exist in Calbayog and Capul in Northern Samar.

The dance is similar to a surtido because of the assorted folk and traditional dance steps like kuradang , pi'ang-pi'ang, paseo con cambio pareja and valse with patty-cake turns; which are strung to have the dance performed.

The dance have been popularized by a an unidentified folk dance group from Calbayog City. Researchers of the Bayanihan came across the Lavezares dance in one of their researches in Samar in the late 1970's. The dance has, since then, became a part of their Spanish-influenced dance repertoire.

The music that accompanies the dance is a lovely mix of favorite Waray melodies which are played in this order:

(1) the Pandangyado which sounds like Costurera of Ilo-ilo, played in the paseo

(2) a very short excerpt of the Kuratsa Menor/Kuradang

(3) a stylized (embellished) Duyan music with mellesmatic style almost similar to a Lancero or Rigodon music

(4) an Interlude

(5) two-part Ti Yadut music repeated twice.

The dancers wear the late 19th century fashions preferably the Maria Clara con cola for the women and an elaborate Barong Tagalog or the americana cerrada for the gentlemen. The women's cola is either tucked on the waist or held by left hand by hooking a ring to the end of the 'tail'.

posted by: Carl Jamie Simple S. Bordeos