Kiriwkiw Folk Dance History

The Kiriwkiw is not a dance for the gentle. It is a dance for the unbroken. And as long as there is one person willing to stomp the earth and cry "Kiriw!" into the wind, the hawk will fly again.

In the early days, rural communities in the Philippines faced harsh tropical conditions. Skin diseases and infections were common threats to survival. The dance mimics the actions of a person scrubbing their body—specifically the armpits and limbs—to cleanse themselves. It is a celebration of the "tough love" approach to health: scrubbing hard to ensure cleanliness. kiriwkiw folk dance history