EMPANADA DANCE: A DOCUMENTATION OF EMBODIMENT OF BATAC’S SOCIO-CULTURAL VALUES

One of the grandest festivals in Ilocos Norte, the Empanada Festival, is celebrated in

the City of Batac, the second town in the province to rise as a city. The Festival aims to

feature the original Batac empanada, the very popular traditional fast food, and showcase the

people and the culture behind it. However, observations show that as time has passed, the

authenticity of the traditional empanada dance has gradually waned. Its vitality has decreased.

Various versions and glaring modifications have likewise been observed every time the

festival is celebrated. This study, therefore, was conducted to document the dance: how it is

executed with the proper costumes and accessories, musical notations and instruments; and to

describe the social and cultural values embodied in it. It is hoped that with this

documentation, can be used effectively for instructional materials for educators, for

references for the learners as well as the community and more importantly the..