SPAN UNVEILS PLANS FOR PERFORMING ARTS

By NBF News

With a mission to set high standards for performing arts education in Nigeria, the Society for Performing Arts in Nigeria (SPAN) will soon offer ample opportunities to talented artistes in dance, music and theatre.

Explaining SPAN's programmes in the next sixth months, Mrs Sarah Boulos, the chairperson of the registered non-governmental organisation, said the programmes had been designed to make youths redefine their understanding of the arts and establish a plan for their future as true professionals. Said Boulos: 'In the coming three – six months, we will be supporting some other great activities and festivals, like Trufesta Festival, which is in collaboration with the Ijodee Dance Company; we have co-hosted the festival for four-years now.

This festival showcases productions by staging different dance pieces through an exchange programme with professional dance choreographers from 10 countries. This year, we will be touring the University of Ilorin, Niger-Delta University, University of Ibadan, OAU, among others.

According to Boulos SPAN believes in competition as well as in the spirit of excellence. 'The IDO dance battle is the most important as we desire within our partners to take Nigerian teams in 2012 to the world championships and these endeavors cannot happen without the help of big companies like Indomie, Seven-up, SCOA and ITB. We hope to see many more partners like Silverbird to see Nigeria win the IDO world cup.'

Boulos also informed that the season would culminate in the development of a skill acquisition centre in the heart of Balogun market on 13, Davies Street and with that the organisation would have introduced what it called, Give Back Plan.

On Give Back Plan Boulos said: 'With the development of the Lagos Island skill centre, SPAN will be able to create a platform to provide performing arts skills and other life-enhancing skills to kids, who cannot afford it. We will also be using our production to raise fund for the development of the centre'.

'SPAN also challenges our prospective sponsors with a fund raising campaign to support the first 40 scholarships for our acquisition centre. This scholarship will be sponsoring future students in the following areas: costume design (by KIKI), make up, artistry, bakery, book reading, among others.'

The fundraising campaign would kick off through the first in-house dance production called ' Love is,' which is scheduled to hold on December, 18, at the ball room hall of the Eko Hotel and Suites.