The Mascota Dance: An Expression of Ybanag Courtship

Mascota is a wedding dance popularized by the Ybanags in the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela. It is performed by the newly married couple or by the other pairs attending a wedding celebration. However, there are no studies cataloguing the Mascota dance, with its moves, music, and costumes. Thus, this study attempted to trace and document the origin of the Mascota dance to come up with a clearer definition of the dance in its skeletal form and understand more about its history. With this documentation, Mascota dance will remain a significant landmark of the Valley’s history and also an initial attempt to preserve and promote this time-honored courtship dance of Ybanags.