Hiraya delivers strongest work at International Dance Day Festival Contemporary Gala
The Contemporary Night of the festival belonged to Hiraya Contemporary Dance Company with their "Animal: Anihan ng Malay Act II."
Hiraya Contemporary Dance Company's 'Animal: Anihan ng Malay Act II.'
Jyllan Bitalac
The International Dance Day Festival (IDDF) 2026 recently wrapped its ambitious 2026 edition at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater and affirmed that movement is a shared language.
The five-day marathon kicked off with a high-octane Opening Gala on 22 April featuring the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, followed by Folk Dance night on the 23rd, Street Dance on the 24th, and a showcase of classical grace at the Ballet Gala on the 25th.
While the week was a whirlwind of genres, I managed to catch the bookends of the festival: the prestige of the ABT opening and creative force of the Contemporary Gala on 26 April.
Ea Torrado's Daloy Dance Company: 'Himalaya 2.0"
Jyllan Bitalac
The Contemporay Night
Curated by Myra Beltran, the Contemporary Gala was a dense, evocative display of the country's modern movement landscape. The stage saw a succession of distinct voices: FEU Dance Company explored emotional dissonance in "In G Minor R"; Project DP drew from Matisse for the fluid "Pull R"; and Galaw.Co Dance Theatre brought a sense of playful camaraderie with "Trust Fall."
BenEx
Jyllan Bitalac
We also witnessed the spiritual inquiry of Rhosam Prudenciado Jr. and UP Filipiniana’s "Between Body and Spirit," the introspection of Dance Forum's "Slightly Misbehaving," the Y2K-inspired "Désire" and "Voler" by BenEx, the philosophical "Snytropy" by Airdance and Guang Ming Dance Project, and the
Strong works included the bleak void of UP Dance Co’s mesmerizing "Banua," and the sexy, sun-soaked emotional piece on heartbreak-to-healing in La Union in "Himalaya 2.0" by Daloy Dance Co.
