Contemporary dance often asks audiences to focus on the finished performance; Mari Dance’s a dance in a day in a dance turns its attention toward everything underneath it instead, including the exhaustion, repetition, vulnerability, and survival that shape the practice.
The acclaimed full-length contemporary a dance in a day in a dance returns from May 16 to 31, 2026, at the Doreen Black Box Theater, Areté. Presented by Mari Dance Company, the production brings together five choreographies by JM Cabling originally developed through the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ dance initiatives, reframing them into a single layered narrative about dancers, choreographers, and the realities of artistic practice in the Philippines today.
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The Story Behind A Dance In A Day In A Dance
Mari Dance Company describes a dance in a day in a dance as a “living archive” and structures it as such. The production weaves together works created across different CCP platforms and periods; together, they explore burnout, rejection, intimacy, creative pressure, and emotional labor behind performance-making.
Meet The Creative Team And Performers
Directed in collaboration with musical theater director Mikko Angeles, the work also features Al Garcia reprising his role as the Choreographer, alongside alternating performances by Georgette Sanchez-Vargas and Ea Torrado. Janine Arisola-Cabrera takes on the lead role of Lea, joined by an ensemble that includes Mari Dance scholarship students from Butuan, Iriga, Sagay, Sorsogon, and Surigao.
Beyond the stage itself, the production reflects the continuing influence of CCP programs such as WifiBody.ph and the CCP Choreographers Series in shaping contemporary Filipino choreography over the last decade.
a dance in a day in a dance runs at the Doreen Black Box Theater, Areté from May 16 to 31, 2026. Tickets are available via maridance.com.
Photos courtesy of the CCP
Frequently Asked Questions
a dance in a day in a dance is a full-length contemporary dance production by Mari Dance Company that brings together five choreographies by JM Cabling into a single interconnected performance exploring the realities of dance-making in the Philippines.
The production runs from May 16 to 31, 2026 at the Doreen Black Box Theater, Areté in Quezon City.
The production is choreographed by JM Cabling and presented by Mari Dance Company, with musical theater director Mikko Angeles shaping the production. The cast includes Al Garcia, Janine Arisola-Cabrera, Georgette Sanchez-Vargas, Ea Torrado, and Mari Dance scholarship performers from across the Philippines.
