The ''Maglalatik'' (also known as ''Manlalatik'' or ''Magbabao'') is a folk dance from the Philippines performed by male dancers. Coconut shell halves are secured onto the dancers' hands and on vests upon which are hung four or six more coconut shell halves. The dancers are shirtless and wear only red pants. The dancers dance by hitting one coconut shell with the other; sometimes the ones on the hands, the ones on the body, or the shells worn by another performer, all in time to a fast drumbeat. Maglalatik can be seen as a mock battle between the dancing boys. The dance is intended to impress the viewers with the great skill of the dancers. In some "Filipino Martial Arts" (FMA) circles, it is noted that the ''Maglalatik'' "consists of a trapping and boxing method hidden in a dance." The name of the dance means "latik-maker", from

latik ''Latík'' () refers to two different coconut-based ingredients in Filipino cuisine. In the Visayan region it refers to a syrupy caramelized coconut cream (coconut caramel) used as a dessert sauce. In the northern Philippines, it refers to ...

, a coconut product that is used in Filipino cooking. The dance is also a

war dance A war dance is a dance involving mock combat, usually in reference to tribal warrior societies where such dances were performed as a ritual connected with endemic warfare. Martial arts in various cultures can be performed in dance-like setting ...

, depicting a fight between Moros and Christians over the latik.

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