By Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA
BACOLOD CITY — The National Commission for Culture and the the Arts (NCCA) has tapped the Colegio de San Agustin (CSA)-Bacolod in providing scholarships for short certificate courses on arts and culture for Negrense artists.
NCCA Deputy Executive Director Marichu Tellano said that in order to hone the skills of artists, they are initiating a training program hosted by the CSA-Bacolod, together with the Western Visayas Association of Museums Inc.
“The agency thought of developing a training program, at a smaller scale, which will be offered for free to our artists,” Tellano said in a press briefing at Seda Hotel here on Friday afternoon.
“We want to make the resources of the national government more accessible to the different regions of the country, in this case, Negros Occidental,” she added.
Tellano was joined in Bacolod by Shirley Halili-Cruz, chair of the NCCA National Committee on Dance, for a meeting with local stakeholders for the Visayas launching of the 2019 National Arts Month and the Hanas Scholarship Program in Culture and the Arts in the province.
The scholarship program dubbed “Hanas,” a Hiligaynon term that means “to hone,” seeks to develop the skills of second liner performing artists and cultural workers through short courses composed of a series of workshops from January to February 2019.
Five courses will be offered — Fundamentals of Film Production, Fundamentals of Theater Production, Choregraphy, Cultural Research and Documentation, and Museology.
Classes will be held at the CSA-Bacolod campus and The Negros Museum on weekends.
Rudy Reveche, CSA-B performing arts director, said they are accepting applications for the various courses until December 21 and those who will pass the screening will be called for an orientation on December 28.
“We are very grateful to the NCCA and the Western Visayas Association of Museums Inc. for helping us facilitate this program,” he added.
The CSA-Bacolod, through its Performing Arts Scholarship Program, is the only school in Negros Occidental accredited by the Department of Education for its Arts Track with Performing Arts strand and by the Commission on Higher Education for its Bachelor in Culture and Arts Education program.
