Rising After the Storm: Interweaving Indigenous Philippine Dance and Music and Western Classical Music for Recovery and Wellbeing

Long-term recovery programs for the survivors of typhoon Haiyan – as it struck the Philippines in 2013 – were inevitably characterized by a convergence of Eastern and Western approaches to health and wellness due to the sectors involved in the process. Local community volunteers and local/international non-profit organizations joined forces to offer socio-emotional support to over 100 families of Tagbanua heritage on three islands in the area of Culion, Palawan, Philippines. This paper presents the blending of Eastern and Western perspectives on post-traumatic symptoms, on well-being and on the human condition. The combined spirit of compassion and bayanihan (a Filipino term for togetherness in common effort) shared by the relief workers and the Tagbanua is also described. Narratives about the unexpected discovery of inherent indigenous ways of coping through dance – and a therapeutic encounter that involved a dialogue between Tagbanua and Western classical music – are highlighted as examples of the interweaving of art-based healing practices from the East and West which contributed towards recovery and the restoration of health.