Tinikling more specifically refers to the Slaty-breasted Rail ("Gallirallus striatus"), the Buff-banded Rail ("Gallirallus philippensis"), and the Barred Rail ("Gallirallus torquatus"). The term "tinikling" literally means "to perform it 'tikling"-like." The dance originated in Leyte, an island in the Visayas in the central Philippines. It imitates the movement of the "tikling" birds as they walk between grass stems, run over tree branches, or dodge bamboo traps set by rice farmers. Dancers imitate the tikling bird's legendary grace and speed by skillfully maneuvering between large bamboo poles. Today tinikling is taught throughout the United States. In grades K-12 the dance is used
Tinikling the Filipino villagers living in those regions during the Spanish period. Other Filipino folk dances of this category include "Sayaw sa Bangko", "Maglalatik", and "Pandanggo sa Ilaw". In the United States, this dance has been altered into a four-beat rhythm to adjust to popular music. In some cases, it has been used in conjunction with traditional Filipino martial arts to demonstrate fleetness of foot and flow of movement. As mentioned earlier, tinikling is used as aerobic exercise for physical education classes in the United States for grades K-12. Instead of using traditional bamboo poles, most schools create their poles using