The Theatre at Solaire’s red carpet for Limang Daan’s opening gala was flocked by ballet enthusiasts and performers, art patrons, diplomats, business people, creative industry pioneers, and theatre-goers in their most stylish modern Filipiniana attire.

Close friends and family of Limang Daan’s creative collaborators, librettist Moira Lang, composer Erwin Romulo, and designer JC Buendia, were also present during the premiere. In true BP form, brave women and men of the Philippine army, navy, and air force were among the VIPs that night. Through the company’s Share The Magic programme, they enjoyed an evening of dance and culture. This CSR initiative was conceived to thank the brave individuals at the forefront for their hard work and dedication.

“Limang Daan is a very special piece that has deepened my appreciation and understanding of Philippine culture,” said Misha Martynyuk, BP’s artistic director, who crafted the show’s choreography. “I wanted to celebrate Filipino heritage and identity by showcasing a diversity of dance styles,” he added.

The show opens with Ana, a nurse in New York City who must contend not only with back-breaking work but also her superior’s unwanted sexual advances. Her seemingly boundless energy gets zapped daily, with zero reinforcement in sight, as she comes home to a flat full of deflated migrant workers like herself. Regina Magbitang’s portrayal of Ana was emotionally heart-rending, with her lyrical, contemporary movements immediately hooking audiences to the edge of their seats.

Ana’s refusal to submit weaves with the story of Amihan, a pre-colonial, non-binary babaylan (spiritual leader) portrayed by Eduardson Evangelio. Conquistadors from a distant empire—which suggests Spain, given the libretto’s context—arrive on the Visayan shores. The babaylan faces the consequences of her retaliation from these voyagers who use God to justify their mission to colonise the natives. Evangelio’s Amihan would be seen again in the succeeding narratives as if conjuring or restoring the inner strength of Filipino women.

One of these women is Gawani, another fictitious character representing the indigenous Filipinos shipped to the US in 1904 to become part of the Philippine pavilion at the St Louis World’s Fair. At her weakest, she draws strength from the women who have preceded her and those still to come. Gia Gequinto’s feisty contemporary dance inspired by traditional dance movements from the Cordillera region was breathtaking to watch—a fitting finale for the first act of Limang Daan.

“The complex characterisation created by librettist Moira Lang also demanded no less than depth in storytelling,” Martynyuk said. “There was a symbiotic process that unfolded as we endeavoured to tell a time-bending tale about the country’s storied past,” he continued.

Meanwhile, for Lang, the creative writing process didn’t come easy. “How do you tell the story of a nation and its five centuries of being colonised and being in the shadows of that colonial past? I had to pick five different periods of that history and choose the characters that would tell this story,” Lang explained.

Ultimately, Lang hopes that Limang Daan will touch the audience’s hearts and ponder important questions about our colonial past and how it has impacted our modern-day lives.

“It’s about time we ask ourselves why we continue to hold on to concepts that oppress those outside of power and privilege,” Lang said.

We see this shift in the stories of Maria Clara, the Mother Superior of the convent where Maria Clara enters, and the three Kalinga women, Petra, Edena, and Leticia, who portray the other side of a Filipino woman—one who knows her worth and her responsibility and knows no master other than the people she keeps close in her heart.

Limang Daan opens its second act with a more classical ballet choreography, highlighting the sublime pas de deux of Ibarra (Ian Ocampo) and Maria Clara (Jemima Reyes) by the azotea. Then we move to Maria Clara’s unseen despair from El Filibusterismo as she enters the convent. Here, we get introduced to the Mother Superior (Ramona Yusay), who comes in with wisdom and a spirit that searches for a middle ground with the Babaylan. Lastly, we move to the north, where Kalinga women Petra (Nicole Barroso and Idele Buhia), Leticia (Clarice Miranda and Joanne Guillermo), and Edena (Danielle Kleiner and Olivia Bugayong) relentlessly resist the corrupt forces who want to destroy their ancestral land for personal gain.

“Gender equality, sex positivity, and women’s rights to their own bodies are not alien to us—on the contrary, these were well entrenched and practised by our ancestors well before imperialism reached our shores,” Lang said. “By finally liberating ourselves and our consciousness from the vestiges of colonialism, we can become better Filipinos, better humans,” she concluded.

Limang Daan ends with Ana and Maria Clara leaving the women’s set designs, which symbolise the boxes of stereotypes that cage them. They reach above their pains and struggles and raise their fists, for it is not only the men who know how to fight but even women.

Ballet Philippines again proved how significant this 54th season is to the company’s members by showcasing the power of dance, its banner theme, in its three performances this season. The company’s core dancers exhibited mastery in their techniques and endurance in Coppelia, the season-opener, and versatility in Christmas Fairytales. In Limang Daan, they geared for a statement piece where rich storytelling meets riveting choreography that tested their endurance and grace.

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