Ballet Philippines (BP) continues to break away from traditional repertoire and break new ground with their latest production, “PAGLALAKBAY: The Journey of the Sea People.” A full-length original Filipino ballet, it’s a celebration of heritage and a powerful statement of where the company is headed — championing local narratives on the classical stage. Its world premiere gala happens on April 10, and runs for four more performances from April 11 to 12, 2026, at the Theatre at Solaire.

Pushing the boundaries of classical ballet, the piece is a cultural journey emerging on stage. Choreographed by BP Artistic Director Mikhail Martynyuk, with a libretto by Sheree Chua, it’s inspired by the Austronesian Migration and tells the story of the Sea People and their epic paglalakbay (journey) to their ancestral homeland in Batanes, the northernmost islands of the Philippines. With a musical score composed by Ronald Vincenzo Khaw de Leon, an emerging young Filipino global talent, who artfully blended traditional beats of the Kalusan with the strong rhythmic foundations of ballet.

A tale of migration, an homage to people who never stopped moving despite harsh weather — movement, and what’s created from movement, is the heartbeat of the ballet. But not just movement in the sense of migration that shaped islands, but also movement as the physical grace of dance, and movement as an emotional, transformative energy of a new generation of audiences discovering ballet for the very first time.

“Migration is often framed as displacement, but my mother showed me that movement can also be expansion, a widening of self without losing origin. In her life, I witnessed resilience, adaptability, and a deep, unshakeable sense of identity. Those same qualities underpin the Austronesian Migration story that informs this work,” says Sheree Chua, librettist of the ballet. “My mother is the emotional architecture of the piece. Through her, I understood that heritage is not static — it breathes, shifts, evolves — yet remains anchored in something internal and enduring. This ballet becomes both historical and intimate: a large-scale narrative of seafaring peoples, and a personal tribute to the woman who first taught me how to move through the world.”

While classical technique is the skeleton of the performance, the history of the Sea People and the Austronesian Migration form a unique, special choreography. “I rely on vertical alignment, purity of line, variation in form — pas de deux, ensemble, and solo work. However, academic technique is a form, not a style,” says Mikhail Martynyuk, Artistic Director. “Batanes is wind, rocks, and ocean. As the scenery changes, the quality of movement changes as well. In ‘PAGLALAKBAY’, choreographic language becomes the main narrator: A low center of gravity, steady in the wind; steps are wide and grounded, moving against resistance; the body tilts forward, always in dialogue with the elements; the hands are not decorative, but functional, like a sailor’s. All of this makes the choreography more complex, yet at the same time, clear and accessible to the audience.”

Movement also played a central role in the production design. “We wanted the stage design to emulate the key visuals and movement of the Batanes landscape — waves crashing on the shore, jagged rock beaches, wild winds hitting the grass eroding soil from cliffs,” says Filipino contemporary fine artist Leeroy New, Production Designer of the ballet. “When I visited Batanes with my assistant designer, Arvie Santos, we experienced firsthand the primal energy of the terrain, we heard the language and stories from the locals, and this only further stressed our responsibility to approximate the best we could that experience for our audiences. To share a glimpse of what remains of our early architectures, lifestyles, and crafts.”

PAGLALAKBAY was conceived and created in direct response to BP’s Ballet Brigade outreach program to Batanes. In May 2024, the Ballet Brigade gathered together with over 200 locals — including community officials, revered elders, and students — at Batanes National Science High School to exchange cultures, perform dances, and share in each other’s rich heritages. The whole experience was a testament to how dance can bridge cultures, bring communities together, and provide momentum to both personal and collective journeys. And this was also the momentous inspiration behind Sheree’s libretto.

The ballet was truly a special journey in itself. “Ending our 56th Season with ‘PAGLALAKBAY’ was a bold investment for the company. It meant the company would spend time on cultural immersion and dialogues with the Sea People’s elders and children,” says Kathleen Liechtenstein, BP President. “It reflects our belief that local indigenous stories deserve the grand scale and artistic rigor of the classical stage. We hope audiences leave with a deeper appreciation of the Sea People’s journey — the massive migration of the Austronesian language-speaking people in 3000 BCE — and a renewed sense of pride in Filipino identity. Because our stories are epic, resilient, profoundly human, and universally interconnected.”

“PAGLALAKBAY: The Journey of the Sea People” runs from April 10 to 12, 2026, at the Theatre at Solaire. Tickets are available via www.ticketworld.com.ph, www.ballet.ph, and the Solaire Box Office.