UPDATE: More performing arts names and groups to expect at CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM 2026

More players in the Philippines’ performing arts ecosystem are taking part in the upcoming CREATEPhilippines x Manila International Performing Arts Market (MIPAM) 2026.

To be held from Sept. 11 to 13 at the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Halls and the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the event combines both the vibrancy of a performing arts festival and the strategic networking of a marketplace. Dedicated to the promotion, exchange, and internationalization of the Philippines performing arts sector, CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM 2026 will bring together various players in the performing arts ecosystem—artists, producers, presenters, cultural institutions, and other sector enablers—to generate leads and business opportunities for the industry as a whole. Organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) and the CCP, it has been carefully designed to be the bridge where the typically segmented players in the performing arts industry can meet and have substantial interactions: networking, knowledge-sharing, capacity- and business-building, and, of course, celebrating Filipino excellence. 

From P-Pop to folk dance, from cirque performances to theater, these Filipino talents are making the most of the opportunity that CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM 2026 offers, both onstage and off.

Pix!e

With their R&B-tinged comeback single “Add to Heart,” the quintet Pix!e—Mita, Pearl, Nicole, Hana, and Kath—are presenting a new dimension to P-pop by throwing in some Bisaya rap. It’s just one of the ways that the girl group, hailed by the PMPC Star Awards for Music as the Best Female Artists for 2026, is showing growth. Despite recent changes in its member line-up and management, Pix!e continues to amplify P-pop’s potential to be the next global sensation by combining peppy charisma, sweet vocals, and smooth yet precise moves, whether in a music video or onstage. 

AlunAlun Dance Circle

Formed in 1999, the AlunAlun Dance Circle (ADC) is composed of scholars, cultural researchers, artists, and professionals who are dedicated to preserving and developing the Tausug’s ancient dance tradition of pangalay (“gift” or “offering”, and also “temple of dance” in Sanskrit) into a classical art form. Using the Amilbangsa Instruction Method to train dancers, applying contemporary themes to new choreography, and setting movements to different music genres, ADC keeps pangalay relevant to younger generations. It also sets a model for integrating rigorous dance instruction with field research, cultural exchange, and adaptive performances. 

James Harvey Estrada

A director, writer, and performance artist who has created and participated in works shown across Southeast Asia, James Harvey Estrada often integrates experimental showcases with lectures and innovative activations to question the status quo. He also established Parika Kalye Sining and the JHE Project, which recently produced the musical lecture-performance Watashi (私) La Institución: State of the Artist ng Bayan-gei（芸), which traces his journey through Europe and Asia as he explores cultural exchanges, confronts neo-colonial power structures, and navigates the struggles of being a Filipino creative.

Defy Cirque PH

From a studio that offers pole, acrobatics, and aerial arts classes, the Bulacan-based Defy Cirque PH, founded by circus artist and artistic director Johnny Villanueva, is now a contemporary circus school and company committed to developing professional talents. It has a progressive education program where both young and adult students can master the fundamentals of circus arts and its more advanced techniques, as well as experience staging multidisciplinary performances through the lens of cultural storytelling, in service of establishing the Philippines as a hub for world-class cirque acts.

Marikina Dance Guild

Since its founding in 1998 by Elenita Cruz, the Marikina Dance Guild has used music, dance, and theater to promote Filipino culture across the country and internationally. Aside from fostering young performers and training them in folk dance, jazz, street dance, and other contemporary art forms, the guild also works with various agencies, such as the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Department of Tourism (DOT), to support local government units’ cultural programs. It also regularly conducts outreach performances and dance/lecture demonstrations and workshops to encourage cultural awakening among communities.