| Sakinur-ain Delasas | |
| Birth Date: | 2 September 1954 |
| Birth Place: | Simunul, Sulu, Philippines |
| Nationality: | Filipino |
| Occupation: | Teacher, dancer |
| Current Group: | Tambuli Cultural Dance Troup (director) |
| Dances: | Igal |
Hadja Sakinur-ain Mugong Delasas[1] (born September 2, 1954) is a Filipino folk dancer who specialize in the Sama dance of Igal.
Delasas is a Sama woman from Bongao, Tawi-Tawi.[2] She was born in Simunul on September 2, 1954 when Tawi-Tawi was still part of Sulu province[3] [4] She is regarded by her community as the descendant of the legendary dancer Napsa Lagayan, who is associated with Sama folklore and Tausūg kissa.[3]
She first learned about the traditional Sama dance of Igal from her mother which had moves inspired from the birds, fishes, ocean waves, and the gentle breeze.[2] The dance is used for various purposes from entertainment to ritual. Igal is a shared heritage in various Southeast Asian cultures and is known as pangalay in Tausūg and pamansak in Yakan. The dance is customarily accompanied with music from gongs and drums.[3]
Her dancing career started in Bongao at a young age but it was in 1974 where had a break when Delasas became part of the Tambuli Cultural Dance Troupe of the Mindanao State University–Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography. She later became its director. Delasas also went on to perform Igal overseas such as in Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, and Spain.[2]
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts conferred Delasas the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan award in December 2023.[5] [6]