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WATCH: Pinoy 'tinikling' dance meets Taylor Swift on US sitcom
Tinikling, the traditional Philippine dance featuring deft dancers weaving their feet between bamboo poles, was featured recently in a US sitcom—albeit with a more modern flavor.
On an episode of "The Middle," one of the main characters, Sue Heck, performed the dance as part of a gymnastics class before she could graduate.
And dance the tinikling she did—but instead of the traditional tinikling song, it was "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift blaring in the background:
Post by The Middle.
No matter. Sue passed the test, getting a B+ from her instructor.
As it turns out, the traditional dance made its way on the show because the producers found it both fun and challenging.
According to a statement obtained by GMA News Online from The Middle's executive producer and co-creator, DeAnn Heline:
My fellow executive producer, Eileen Heisler, was talking about how her son Ben was doing Tinikling in PE. That got me reminiscing about how I had done Tinikling in Girl Scouts. There was some sort of World Fair day and our troop decided to represent the Philippines so we spent months learning the dance. The more we talked about it, the more we realized it would be perfect for Sue to do. It's such a fun, joyful dance, yet also potentially dangerous while trying to learn it. Given Sue's lack of coordination, her mastering Tinikling (to Taylor Swift no less) was the perfect Sue win!
Before that episode of "The Middle" was aired, the show's network ABC tweeted:
#Tinikling ???? pic.twitter.com/VHoi3NgKzs
— The Middle (@TheMiddle_ABC) November 13, 2014
To which some replied:
@TheMiddle_ABC @edensher Not bad, you brung it Sue Heck. Yours in Dance, Your Filipino Friends @PunPlipPridays http://t.co/C8JhWutn6Q
— PunPlipPridays (@PunPlipPridays) November 17, 2014
Haha, sooo cool to see #tinikling (Filipino traditional dance) on @TheMiddle_ABC ???????????? #themiddle #tvshow
— Corinna Hoffman (@CorinnaHoffman) November 13, 2014
— Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News
