Daloy Dance Company is taking center stage for the Philippines at the 2026 World Island Fair in Yeosu, South Korea. The crew hits the platform on 27 and 28 September for four shows, putting contemporary Filipino dance front and center at a global event all about island vibes, cultures, and environments.

Island focus

Event organizers call the World Island Fair, running from 5 September to 4 November, the very first international gathering built specifically around islands. Framed by the theme “Island, Connecting the Ocean and the Future,” the event zeroes in on island ecology, culture, sustainable growth, and the real-world issues facing island communities. 

Tucked along South Korea’s southern coast, maritime Yeosu boasts 365 islands and previously hosted the 2012 Yeosu World Expo. This 2026 fair rolls out across Dolsando Island and the old World Expo site, mixing international exchange, local culture and ecology.

For the Philippines, an archipelagic nation tied to the sea, this invite serves up a dynamic showcase for contemporary local artists. Daloy founder and artistic director Ea Torrado views it as a fresh way to express Filipino identity through an evolving art form.

“It means a lot to us, especially because Daloy has always been deeply interested in the relationship between the body and its environment,” Torrado told DAILY TRIBUNE. “We are coming from the Philippines, an archipelago where our lives are so connected to water — geographically, culturally, economically, and increasingly through our experiences of the climate crisis.”

Daloy’s journey

Launched by Torrado back in 2014, Metro Manila-based Daloy operates as an independent contemporary dance outfit tackling cultural, social, political, and environmental topics. 

Their interdisciplinary style blends contemporary dance, dance theater, improv, film, visual arts, community work and site-responsive shows. The Yeosu trip comes right on the heels of Torrado’s Brown Madonna performances last month, fresh off a German tour.

Two works

At the fair, Daloy is pairing excerpts from Torrado’s environmental dance-film project Bari-Bari with Agos, a new live piece crafted by younger Daloy artists Julienne Depatillo and Sebio Guevara. 

Built in 2020–2021 while Torrado lived in La Union, Bari-Bari weaves together movement, interviews, environmental stories, and shots of dancers moving across local lands and waters. Co-directed by Torrado and videographer Chino Neri, with outfits by visual artist Leeroy New, the piece digs into plastic pollution, environmental care, and cultural memory. 

Its title taps into an Ilokano phrase similar to “tabi-tabi po,” traditionally uttered when passing spaces where elemental spirits might live.

Agos tackles ecological issues through the lens of Daloy’s younger crew, diving into interconnectedness, community, shared responsibility, and our bond with the environment. It stands on its own rather than acting as a remake or continuation of Bari-Bari.

Torrado loves how the two works talk to each other across time. 

“Agos means ‘flow,’ and I find it beautiful that something created years ago can flow into another work, another generation of makers, another country and another island,” she said. “The film and the live performance are not simply illustrating each other. They are conversing across time.”

La Union to Mindoro

This narrative connects all the way to Mindoro, whose natural and cultural roots shine at the Philippine Pavilion through contemporary art, marine biodiversity, Mangyan heritage, Tamaraw conservation, environmental education, and eco-cultural tourism. That setup links three water-bound spots: La Union, where Bari-Bari came to life; Mindoro; and Yeosu.

For Kaye Salcedo, one of the eight performing dance artists, the magic lies deep in the creative hustle.

“We do not just make use of a lot of physical energy but it’s also a lot of brain power,” she told DAILY TRIBUNE, highlighting the choreographers’ drive to ensure “that a clear message is expressed through the choreographic work.” 

She feels the piece hits home because it covers “our relationship with nature and the effects when we separate ourselves from it.”

Filipino voices

Dancer Brian Abano calls repping the Philippines “a great honor and responsibility,” noting the show gives Daloy a stage to share “Filipino stories, movement and culture with an international audience.” He hopes viewers catch a glimpse of the country through “the creativity, diversity and contemporary voices of its people.”

For Torrado, this moment highlights a real passing of the torch inside Daloy, watching Depatillo and Guevara craft works for a global crowd. 

“There is something meaningful for me about stepping back and watching artists I have worked with and mentored take responsibility for creating a work that will represent Daloy and the Philippines internationally,” Torrado said.

At a fair focused on islands and the future, Daloy brings together two generations of Filipino creators and three water-linked places through dance and film, reflecting on nature, community, memory and change.