Walang Hiya is a 40-minute, long-form trio burlesque performance that explores Filipina sexuality through the lens of history, diaspora, and embodied transformation. Blending traditional Filipino dance, costuming, and theatricality with the sensuality of burlesque, the work confronts the lasting impact of 300 years of Spanish colonialism and its restrictive ideals around femininity, purity, and control.

Structured in five acts: Pre-Colonial, Colonial, Decolonizing, Liberation, and Transcendence, the piece traces a journey from ancestral wholeness through fragmentation and resistance, toward self-reclamation and pleasure. Drawing on cultural symbols such as the linling-o and integrating the high-risk dynamism of stripping while dancing tinikling (Filipino bamboo pole dance), Walang Hiya tells a story of gender expectations, tension, liberation, and joy.

At once intimate, and provocative, the performance challenges the fetishization and policing of Filipina sexuality while celebrating autonomy, sensuality, and the power of reclaiming desire on one’s own terms.

Originally commissioned by CanAsian Dance in 2023, the piece has since been presented by Tangente Dance (Montreal), Neighbourhood Dance Works (Newfoundland), Festival Accès Asie (Montreal). Walang Hiya has also received residency support from LA SERRE - arts vivants, PARBLEUX, Jose Navas-Compagnie Flak, and has been funded by the Canada Council for the Arts.