Create deeper connections to cultural roots with the fusion of Filipino heritage and contemporary experiences, while reimagining femininity in strength, grace and resiliency in a one-night-only production, Joy and Daloy, on 27 January, 7 p.m., at the Tanghalang Ignacio B. Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater) of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Joy and Daloy, a twin-bill production by Daloy Dance Company and choreographer-dancer Joy Alpuerto Ritter, features “ItikLandia” and “Babae” with imaginative choreographies that aim to redevelop and nurture an appreciation for contemporary dance. The dance pieces explore intriguing themes, fusing traditional Filipino elements with contemporary expressions.

Created by Daloy Dance Company during their residency at the British School Manila in 2023, “ItikLandia” is inspired by the Filipino folk dance Itik-Itik, but with a unique and thought-provoking twist that will surely captivate audiences. It is a homage to the natural environment we all share, live in and rely on.

Meanwhile, Ritter’s “Babae” is a 30-minute solo performance piece where the choreographer-dancer reimagines the mystical rituals and power-summoning traditions often associated with women as witches.

Taking inspiration from Mary Wigman’s “Witch Dance,” Ritter combines her training in hip-hop, voguing, classical and contemporary styles with Philippine folk dance to create a mesmerizing interplay between the sensual and animalistic aspects of ritual and power.

On 25 January at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez, Ritter with hold a Shapeshifting Dynamics workshop where she will share her dance practice stemming from several movement approaches she learned in her 30 years as a dancer. Her workshop will focus on the subtleties of articulating and isolating body parts in relation to musicality and rhythmical patterns, as well as grounded, dynamic physicality and grooves that strengthen the presence and virtuosity in space.

Founded in 2014 by its artistic director Ea Torrado, Daloy Dance Company has been creating bold dance theater productions with a dynamic cast of actors, dancers and other artists. Daloy combines dance, theater and improvisation to create innovative and thought-provoking works. With its groundbreaking productions such as Pieces of Me, The Sky Changed and Inter/Act that push the boundaries of contemporary dance, Daloy has created quite a stir in the Metro Manila art scene since its founding. Meanwhile, its highly regarded works, Dysmorphilia, Canton and Himalaya, encourage audiences to both celebrate and critically examine societal culture. The company has partnered with notable visual artists in several Philippine museums and galleries.

Ritter enrolled in her first ballet courses at the Ballettstudio Krain, which marked the beginning of her dancing career at four. She took ballet and jazz training for 10 years, and participated in dance competitions, ballet performances and presentations with her mother’s group, the Philippine and Polynesian Culture Dance Group. She received a diploma from the Palucca Dancing School in Dresden, Germany, where she was accepted at the age of 17. After that, she began working as a freelance contemporary dancer in and around Berlin, collaborating with choreographers such as Heike Hennig, Anja Kozik, Constanza Macras, Wangramirez and Christoph Winkler. She expanded her repertoire with breakdancing, voguing and hip-hop/new style, and participated in several dance battles.

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