SUNGOD at The Sanctuary at St. Paul & St. Andrew – New York, NY

About the Performance:
Sungod (Destiny) is a multidisciplinary live production – a hybrid of film, dance, and music piece that follows Joyce’s journey as she reconnects with her indigenous roots and discovers her inner strength. This is her love letter to her Father and to her Igorot community. In this work, Joyce combines her Igorot dance culture with her improv, butoh, traditional Filipino and Austronesian movements, modern dance and her latin dance background to tell the story. This is her attempt to create a piece that would marry all the cultural influences in her upbringing through the colonizations and inter-cultural exchange in the Philippines – Igorot, Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, American and Latin/Spanish.

Cast & Creative Team
Creator and Performer: Joyce Laoagan
Directed by: Veronica Dang
Stage Manager and Production: Sabrina Morabito
Special Guest Performers and Choreographers:
Summer (Xiaoxia) Huang
Cordillera Cultural Ensemble: Gerry Dupingay, Edward Frenzel Yapyapan, MJ Payos, Rex Payos, Franklin Bentayen, Gertrude Albin Ariola, Jasmine Faith

About the Lead Artist:
Joyce Lao (Laoagan) is an Indigenous Filipino-American artist of Igorot (Ibaloi/Bago) heritage based in New York City. She is a multidisciplinary performer, director, producer, and arts educator with degrees in Psychology, Special Education, Music, and Arts Administration, and training from Juilliard, Stella Adler, BDC, and HB Studios. She is currently completing her MA in Dance Education at New York University. Her work spans theatre, film, and immersive performance, with projects presented internationally. She is the founder of The Ally Artists Group, co-founder of the First Nations and Indigenous Playwrights and Composers Festival, and a member of the Cordillera Cultural Ensemble, advancing Indigenous representation and storytelling.

About the CWP Evolution Festival
The fifth annual CWP EVOLUTION FESTIVAL presents original works of theater, dance, music, comedy, and interdisciplinary performance by NYC-based artists at venues across Manhattan in June and September 2026. Participants receive free performance & rehearsal space, marketing & technical support, a guaranteed artist fee, performance photography and archival videography, and more! Learn more about the festival and the 20+ other shows on the schedule at www.centeratwestpark.org/evolution-festival-2026