A group of young farmers has revived Bakte, a traditional Filipino dance emulating chickens, setting their looping moves to pop songs about urban poverty. It’s a serious business; members of the troupe have matching home-made tattoos and Moy, who takes charge, sets a high standard. When they take their dance to the local bar, cheered on by the patrons, everyone is expecting a night of folkloric fun. But when a heckler challenges them, smashing a glass over the head of the weakest dancer, the dark side of Bakte is revealed.