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Banaue is a pure Filipino born in Beijing, China. The high sense of cultural awareness in China, with its history that goes back thousands of years, opened her senses to the ancient world of the arts. Enriching this is her claim to the Filipino culture—molded and shaped by years of colonialism, of cultural diversity, of political ruptures, and a resilience and steadfastness of spirit.

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Banaue’s first stage performance was a recital entitled Collezioné ’89, with Philippine National Artist for Dance, Leonor Orosa-Goquingco’s Ben-Lor Ballet. She was introduced to the Asian performing arts of dance, song, and spoken word through PETA’s workshop production of Radiya Mangandiri or Ramayana in 1992. From 1994 to 1995, Banaue danced with the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group founded by National Artist for Dance, Ramon Obusan. She went on to obtain a B.A. in Theater Arts at the University of the Philippines in Diliman; and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Acting at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, while also training for operatic singing under the tutelage of Evelyn Mandac.

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As a professional actress and singer, Banaue has done plays in various languages—English, Filipino, Spanish, Japanese, and some Filipino dialects. She has performed in different countries including Germany, Japan, China, and Taiwan. In the United States, she has done performances off-Broadway and was a regular acting chorus (supernumerary) at the acclaimed Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center in New York from 2006 to 2009.

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Currently, Banaue is an assistant professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts, College of Arts and Letters.