Contemporary Performing Arts

• Music - During the Spanish period, the Spaniards promulgated religious music.
• Kundiman and Harana - a musical form that is a product of Spanish colonization.
• Harana - a traditional courtship ritual in the PhiliPhilippines wherein a suitor serenades his object of affection.
• Kundiman - Is an art sing that signifies love and affection for someone. It is performed qs a solo vocal with an instrumental accompaniment.
• Ballad - traditionally a song thatnarrates an event in a community.
• Yoyo Villame's "Magellan" - A popular example of a traditional ballad.
• Balladeer - an artist whose set of songs are primarily romantic songs.
• Chamber Music - a form of music composed of a small ensemble wherein each part is composed by one player. This is usually performed by a grougroup of 3 to 8 musicians.
• Choral Music -  a musical composition intended to be performed by a group of singers called a choir. The choir is arranged according to voice categories such as soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. 
• Liturgical Music -  songs intended for Christian church services. Its early form was inspired by Jewish chants during their religious rituals. Many Musicians have adapted liturgical music to reflect contemporary musical styles and forms. 
• Opera -  a combination of both music and theater. It is a song drama that entails collaborative efforts of singers, dancers, composers’ choreographers, etc. One type of song found in an opera is the aria which is a song sung in solo that portrays the character's emotional state. 
• Pop Music - used to describe music that is readily available to the broad populace. It is an umbrella term that encompasses a multitude of different genres of music such as RnB, Rap, Rock, Hip-Hop, Dance, etc. 
• Rap - is a music genre that became popular in the late 1980s in the Philippines. It originated from the African Americans and is distinctive of its fast and rhythmic narration accompanied by electronic music.
• hip-hop - This music genre incorporates not only rap but also includes RnB, beatboxing, and electronic and turntables as accompaniments. Many contemporary Filipino rap artists identify themselves as both hip-hop and rap artists. 
• Protest Songs - songs that bring to light injustices and inequality in society. These seek to inspire nationalism and heroism from their listeners.
• Aerobic Dance -  a dance routine made into an exercise program. It is usually accompanied by upbeat pop music. Formal aerobic dance class has three phases; the first is the warm- up, followed by aerobic dance, and capped wth cooldown exercises. Over the years, there have been many variations of aerobic dancing, usually dictated by the type of music used. Examples of which are jazzercise, aero hip- hop, ballroom dancing, belly dancing, and more recently the Brazilian- developed Zumba. 
• Ballet -  both a dance and theater art. It is a style and dance technique that follows a strict set of moves and performances. It originated from the European court spectacles and was later brought to Philippines by the Americans. 
• Folk Dance - the different dances performed by various cultural groups throughout the country. It changes from region to region and is performed by nonprofessional dancers who are members of the said community. It is often performed during rituals, festivals, fiestas, and other community celebrations. 
• Street Dance - a term used to describe vernacular dances, or dances that developed organically within a community. Street Dance is a dance form that began in urban open spaces, such as parks, streets, yards, and night clubs, rather than in formal dance studios.
• Sarswelas - a popular form of entertainment for the Filipinos that showcased love stories of the upper class peppered with comedic situations.
• Absurd - a genre of modern play that deliberately exaggerates events and situations to emphasize a point. 
• Stage Show - bodabil is a theatrical presentation of various acts and performances. These performances may be a production of the following: comedy skits, circus acts, musical and dance numbers, acrobatics, magic shows, and the like. Contemporary forms of the stage show can be seen during fiestas and on television variety shows. 
• Brechtian Theater - an example of a modern theatrical show. It is also referred to as epio theater. It is based on Bertolt Brecht's (1898- 1956) proposition that the audience should not emotionally identify with the characters or action on stage but instead stimulate self-reflection and critical analysis of the events unfolding in the play. It is hoped that after watching the play the audience will recognize the injustice presented and awaken change in society. 
• Children's Theater - plays that are either performed by children or by adults for children. In both cases, the primary audience are children. This type of theater production is intended to educate, inspire, and encourage creativity and value formation. Plays from this theater form often use materials that are based on folktales and legends. 
• Melodrama -  nonmusical play that is intended to elicit tears and emotional attačhment to the characters. The main characters of these melodramas are often victims of tragedies and suffer cruelty from the people around them but in the end will rise triumphantly. These melodramas are regularly seen on television. 
• Dramatic Monologue - a type of play wherein an individual actor speaks and acts out the character's thoughts and emotions. This one-person performance is often used for the audience to better understand a main character. Some plays utilize a dramatic monologue for the entire play. 
• Tula-dula - play poem was developed by the University of the Philippines in the 1970s. It is minimalist in attack wherein a poem is dramatized by a narrator who recites the piece and two or three actors provide the movement and the sound effects.
• Political Theater - a form of theater whose intention is to transform or improve the current system of the government. Some political dramas are direct to the point, while others use symbolisms and allegory to air their political views. 
•  Seditious plays - often use symbolism and allegory to deliver their anti-government sentiments. 
• Musical Theater - plays where music is an essential part of the production. This includes traditional Filipino theater such as the sarswela and ritualistic dramas. With the love of Filipinos for music, it is not surprising that it is one of the most popular forms of theater. 
• Realism -  a type of drama that provides an accurate depiction of real-life situations. This is achieved through well-developed and authentic portrayal of characters as well as realistic plot, dialogue, and staging.