Music of the Philippines more mainstream after performers such as Atang de la Rama, Jovita Fuentes, Conching Rosal, Sylvia La Torre and Ruben Tagalog introduced them to a wider audience. The Tinikling is a dance from Leyte which involves two individual performers hitting bamboo poles, using them to beat, tap, and slide on the ground, in co-ordination with one or more dancers who steps over and in between poles. This is one of the more iconic Philippine dances, and is similar to other Southeast Asian bamboo dances. The Cariñosa (meaning "loving" or "affectionate one"), is the national dance, and is part of the María
National Dance Alliance programs, by allowing dance, pom-pom, or drill teams to learn alongside the cheerleaders. In 1976, the company made a distinction between cheerleading and dance by creating the NCA Superstar as the dance section of the company. The NCA Superstar eventually changed its name to the National Dance Alliance in 1999. The National Dance Alliance brand was established and is now a “full service provider in the dance spirit industry”. The NCA and NDA are both a part of the Varsity Spirit Corporation, an organization that hosts competitions, offers camps and clinics to train dancers and cheerleaders, and sells cheer and