The desire to give children a better life. That’s one of the big, enduring themes in stories about why people leave everything they know behind, to immigrate to another country.

And it’s what inspired Ida Beltran Lucila and Jojo Lucila to leave thriving careers in the dance world in the Philippines to start over in Canada. The two met at Ballet Philippines in the early 1980s, where Ida would go on to become a principal ballerina. Jojo’s career as a dancer would end with an injury in his early twenties, but he continued as a choreographer for the Filipino military, whose musical productions routinely involved many hundreds of dancers.

But widespread corruption and a political scandal that brought down a president left the couple despairing for the kind of futures their three children faced in a country where patronage seemed to rule the day.

“We wanted to raise our children in a society of meritocracy so that they grew up knowing that the work that they invested in would yield something other than patronage,” says Ida Beltran Lucilla.

But the sacrifices would be huge along the way.

Settling in Edmonton, it was tough going at first, as the couple realized that their lack of contacts in the dance world in a new country would challenge their ability to make a living doing what they not only loved, but excelled at back home.

“So in the early years I worked in the call centre for Pizza Hut and my husband was working at Sobey's. I think at that time I sort of lost my identity. Because my identity was so tied with my artistic achievements and not being able to do that here. I know now I can say that I sort of lost myself.”

Listen as Ida and Jojo share their inspiring story of rebuilding their lives in Canada, creating opportunities for themselves and others in the Filipino community in Edmonton along the way.