‘Baile’ lost cultural, social value to disco, rock music

BAILE is a Spanish word which means “to dance.” During the Spanish colonial period, this meant Filipino men and women dancing in formal wear.

Historian and Cebu Daily News columnist Jojo Bersales said staging a baile is a social ritual that starts early and ends at 9 p.m. It is usually held in the plaza and in the sala of a rich family.

“The baile is that time when an 18-year-old woman gets introduced to young men whom she can consider as potential suitors or husbands. It ends early because the sound system easily overheats because it uses vacuum tubes,” Bersales said.

Bersales said the baile is held as a fund-raising activity during fiesta. “Dili pod ka basta basta lamang maka sayaw kung wala ka magtuon ug sayaw (You simply cannot dance there without knowing how to dance),” he said. Today, Bersales said baile was converted into a disco or dance event and has since lost its cultural and historical essence.

“Wala nay paki alamay sa mga sanina suoton sa mga taw, ug na wala na ang essence niini kay eneg homan ug sayaw eyahay na ug panguli (No one cares anymore about what dress or clothing to use and it has lost its essence because after the dance, everyone goes home),” he said.

Bersales said while music played during baile is slow and ends at 8 to 9 p.m., today’s baile employs loud disco music that can disturb neighboring communities, Bersales lamented. Correspondent Renan Alangilan