Born in the Diaspora
Founded in 1995 in Port Moresby by the late Soanin Kilangit and his wife Karla, so the children of Baluan migrants would never lose the songs, dances and drum voices of home.
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Years of Performance
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Generations of Performers
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Continents Toured
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Founded in Port Moresby
The Heartbeat
The Garamut
A single log, hollowed by hand, carved with the faces of the ancestors — and struck until the whole village hears it speak.
The garamut is a large slit drum, one of the oldest instruments of Manus Province. In Baluan it is far more than percussion: it carries messages across water, opens ceremonies and sets the pulse of every dance. Paluai Sooksook builds its entire performance around this resonant, ancient voice — layered rhythms, thunderous ensemble pieces, and dancers moving in perfect synchrony with every strike.
Three Decades Strong
From Baluan to the World
Daughters of the Drum
Paluai Sooksook broke convention by putting the garamut in the hands of its sisters and daughters — and answered its critics with a performance that brought the Osaka World Expo 2025 to its feet.
The Osaka story →A Living Legacy
Thirty years on, a third generation now carries the beat — and the founders’ vision sparked the Balopa Cultural Festival on Baluan itself: culture as an engine of unity and progress.
Explore the legacy →Watch
More of the Beat
Performances, rehearsals and behind-the-scenes moments — from village clearings on Baluan to festival stages across Europe, Asia and the Pacific.