Ballet Philippines makes its first ever visit to Cyprus on 10 May 2026, bringing an evening of two original one-act ballets to Limassol’s Marios Tokas Municipal Garden Theatre in a production presented by Celebrity Gala and Papadopoulos & Schinis Productions Ltd.
The programme, titled Panaginip / The Dream, unites two independent works — each with its own story, choreography, music, and costumes — around a shared theme of dreams, destiny, and the inner journey of the human soul. Thirty dancers will perform across a running time of one hour and 35 minutes including an interval.
The first ballet, Ivatan (The People of the Sea), follows a man who survives a shipwreck and finds himself on an unfamiliar shore, where the spirit of the land appears to him in the form of an Ivatan woman. Their encounter becomes a ritual of acceptance — of another culture, another rhythm of life, and ultimately a new version of himself.
The choreography weaves traditional Ivatan dance movements into classical ballet vocabulary, with costumes by Leeroy New recreating the traditional textiles of Batanes — the northernmost archipelago of the Philippines — and music by Ronald Vincenzo Khaw de Leon rooted in the folk traditions of the region.
The second ballet, Panaginip (The Dream), brings 18 dancers to the stage, each representing one of the regions of the Philippines. In a dreamlike vision, they encounter their destined partners in a sequence of duets and ensemble scenes that blend classical ballet with Filipino musicality. The work celebrates love, diversity, and the cultural unity of a nation of 108 islands, with costumes by Jor-El Espina and music by Glen Aquias.
Both works are choreographed by Mikhail Martynyuk, Artistic Director of Ballet Philippines and Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation, whose credits include the Vaganova Prix, the Gold Medal at the International Ballet Competition in Astana, and the Soul of Dance Award. Panaginip is described as his personal artistic statement about the Philippines — the country that became his home.
Founded in 1969, Ballet Philippines was the first resident company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and has earned international recognition over 56 years, most recently as a participant in Expo 2025 in Osaka. The Limassol performance is part of the company’s European Tour 2026.
The evening is co-produced by Celebrity Gala, whose artistic director is a principal of the Bolshoi Theatre, and Papadopoulos & Schinis Productions Ltd., a Cypriot production company with four decades of experience on the island.
Date: 10 May 2026, 19:30
Venue: Marios Tokas Municipal Garden Theatre, Limassol
Running time: 1 hour 35 minutes (including interval)
Tickets: soldoutticketbox.com
Media sponsors: Phileleftheros, en.philenews.com
