A newly launched WordPress blog, Memecaptor.com, features an interesting article about a particular Filipino meme, #TagaAsaKa Challenge. It’s that new video trend now online that features people asking, “Taga-asa ka?” (“From where are you”). Then, the one being asked answered where she/he/they is/are from with a flaunting dance step.
If you are interested to read the whole article, please read, #TagaAsaKa? Challenged Explained.
The author explains that the whole trend is a social construct of the dance culture different historical time periods in the Philippines. These cultural elements are the Discoral, Budots, and Smartphones.
Discoral is a play of words coming from “Disco” and “koral” (fence in English). It’s a form of Filipino entertainment during major town fiestas when people dance in the dark, usually on the open space. Here, party-goers ask a stranger where they are from as a question that breaks the ice.
Budots is the kind of music mixing the Badjao tribe beat and EDM genre. That’ the usual music played during provincial discorals. Budots is danced in blunt rhythmic patterns, playful as possible. Bending the knees while repeatedly opening and closing the legs is perhaps the most iconic dance move.
Smartphones, needless to say is the gateway for the Discoral practice and Budots to be introduced online. Friends tag their friends in various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, challenging them to perform the same dance craze.
So, before this trend entered the realm of mainstream media, it has always been “TagaAsaKa” instead of “TagaSaanKa” which is a Tagalog washout. Thus, in very simplistic terms:
Discoral + Budots + Social Media = #TagaAsaKa Challenge.
This meme is an authentic Filipino meme still transforming into different fashions in the future.
You might also like to read:
The Filipino Meme: RP612fic Explained
The Binay Family: A Filipino Meme
“Nagmahal-Nasaktan” Meme is a Filipino Linguistic Treasure
