Book Review: Dancing the Tinikling, By Bobbie Peyton; Illustrated by Diobelle Cerna; Sleeping Bear Press, 2023.

Do you want to know the secret to the Tinikling, the national dance of the Philippines where dancers skillfully dip their feet in between two bamboo poles held on both ends by two people called clappers who open and close the bamboo to a rhythmic beat? 

Simply get into this tempo: Tap-tap-close.

If you’re the clapper, “Tap-tap” means leaving open space between the bamboo poles, and “close” is slapping them shut. If you’re the dancer, “Tap” means balancing your right foot in between the bamboo poles, the second “tap” means swiftly shifting the balance to your left foot in between the them, and “close” means shifting back to your right foot outside the poles.

Repeat “Tap-tap-close” like a mantra even when the music, clacking bamboo, and cheering crowd are all you hear.

In the children’s book, Dancing the Tinikling, young Jojo learns the basics of the dance from his lola (grandmother) while his lolo (grandfather) plays the bandurria (a string instrument). Learning it is hard, but he gets the hang of it.

Dancing the Tinikling is written by Bobbie Peyton, a Filipino American author based in Oregon. She recounts, “My mom and brother gave a live performance of the Tinikling for a church banquet years ago. It was the first time I had seen the dance performed live. It was exciting! And dangerous. The dancers jumped in and out of two clapping poles. The music eventually sped up and so did the clapping. Someone could have sprained an ankle or trapped it between crushing poles.”

Now that *Dancing the Tinikling* is out, author Bobbie Peyton says, “It feels wonderful, scary, and surreal. I had worked on it off-and-on for years, and then it took a few years to publish.” *(Photo courtesy of Bobbie Peyton)*

“I hadn’t understood the metaphor my brother had used to describe the dance until then. That the Tinikling has come to represent the diaspora of millions of Filipinos leaving behind their homes and families in the Philippines to work in a new country. Navigating between two cultures can sometimes feel like dancing in and out of two tapping poles, with painful clashes sometimes,” she continues.

“This resonated deeply for me in a different way. I am biracial and have always felt like I lived at the edges of two worlds, never able to remain in one or harmonize the two. Hopping between them felt like a dance, which is why I wrote Dancing the Tinikling. I thought that this might be how other children of new immigrant families might feel. Although a lot of Filipino Americans know the dance, we hardly know its origin and the possible connection to the tikling bird’s motion of dodging bamboo traps set out by farmers. I included these details so that we have a stronger connection to the dance and what it means to be Filipino,” she adds.

“Writing has helped me explore my experience growing up and how it’s different for kids like me, who are first or second-generation immigrants to the US,” she says. “I didn’t see a lot of myself in the books I grew up reading but was always drawn to books that resonated with me. Maybe that’s how we get the next generation to want to learn more about the culture in the Philippines. By telling stories that connect their feelings and lived experiences,” she explains.

Some of the touching parts of Dancing the Tinikling are the bonding moments between grandparent and grandchild through dancing, eating Filipino food, and speaking Tagalog. It is always time well spent as both learn from each other and reinforce ties to their heritage.

“I believe that multi-generational relationships can help strengthen a child’s identity. Many of us grow up without our extended family, including myself. I was born in the Philippines and moved to the United States as a baby. Writing about a multi-generational family has allowed me to live vicariously through my character. In the book, Jojo’s grandparents teach him the Tinikling, and in so doing, Jojo recognizes how he dances between his Filipino and American worlds,” Bobbie says.

The pages of Dancing the Tinikling were brought to life by Diobelle Cerna, a children’s book illustrator based in the Philippines. She says, “I would describe my illustrations as sprightly, bright, and warm. I wanted to showcase the Tinikling dance as well as the characters' experiences of dancing within two worlds through vibrant colors and shapes.”

Diobelle Cerna is the illustrator of *Dancing the Tinikling* *(Photo courtesy of Diobelle Cerna).*

“I have loved drawing for as long as I can remember. I grew up reading a lot of children's books and would imagine myself drawing for storybooks back then,” Diobelle recalls.

Her biggest break was illustrating the book written by Karamo Brown, one of the hosts of Netflix’s Queer Eye, called I Am Okay to Feel (published in 2022). “It was my debut picture book that talks about the importance of expressing your feelings which is a topic that I deeply resonate with, and I got to explore a variety of character expressions and vibrant color palettes that I rarely used on my personal artworks, so it was a fun opportunity,” she adds. “Seeing how my works are now being published internationally, reaching so many people, and getting to work with authors, art directors, and designers is absolutely amazing!”

“It took me around six months to illustrate *Dancing the Tinikling* from the initial character designs to the book cover and interior art,” says illustrator Diobelle Cerna. *(Photo courtesy of Diobelle Cerna)*

“The Tinikling has come to represent the diaspora of millions of Filipinos leaving behind their homes and families in the Philippines to work in a new country. ”

Dancing the Tinikling is the recipient of the “Own Voices, Own Stories Award,” granted by the book’s publisher Sleeping Bear Press to previously unpublished authors from historically marginalized groups so that new and diverse voices with underrepresented perspectives are recognized.

The reason Dancing the Tinikling captured their attention? “We loved the joy in this story. There is some uncertainty and anxiety, but the overwhelming feeling is so joyful. You see it in Lola and the way she dances and engages with her family and friends. And in Jojo as he leans into his identity. There was a lot to love about this one -- the intergenerational relationship, the wonderful rhythm that mimics the rhythm of the dance, and the opportunity to reflect some of Filipino culture back to our readers,” says Sarah Rockett, editor at Sleeping Bear Press.

Whether you learned the Tinikling in physical education class or performed it during cultural night, you quickly learn that it involves mind and body coordination. But once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you’ll know what to do whatever side of the bamboos and whatever the pace of the dance you’re on.

All you need to remember is “Tap-tap-close.”