SPAN celebrates 20 years of artistic excellence, unveils Raise The Barre, Your Light Is On

By Sunday Aikulola

In commemoration of their 20th anniversary, CEO/ founder Society for the Performing Arts in Nigeria (SPAN), Sarah Boulos, has disclosed the centre is unveiling Raise the Barre, Your Light is On.

Addressing journalists at Alliance Francaise Lagos, she stated Raise the Barre, Your Light is On celebrates two decades of impact, innovation and artistic excellence reaffirming SPAN’s commitment to shaping the nation’s performing arts landscape.

For 20 years, she added SPAN has been a home for creativity and expression, nurturing talents and transforming lives.

To her, Raise the Barre, Your Light is On “is our way of challenging ourselves and our community to reach even greater heights. It represents SPANs renewed commitment to pushing boundaries, elevating talent, and creating new opportunities for the next generation of artists.”

With a vision to build a performance arts centre where performing artistes are presented, Boulos disclosed SPAN has trained over 3,000 students in music, dance and theatre; produced over 50 community performances and events, reaching over audiences over 30 000; collaborated with over 50 public schools, community centers and organisations.

Other achievements include, over 700 scholarships awarded to talented youths; fostered a network of 600 professional artists and educators; 90 per cent of our students have shown improved overall life skills and emotional well-being. 85 per cent of our alumni have pursued careers in the arts or its education; 95 per cent of our community performances have been free or low-cost, promoting accessibility; countless lives transformed through education, mentorship and outreach programmes among others

The CEO also acknowledged some of the sponsors such as, 7Up Bottling Company, Eko Hotels and Suites, Indomie, Leadway Assurance Nigeria Plc, Cool FM 96.9, SCOA Nigeria Plc and others.

SPAN is the nation’s premier center for performing arts education and empowerment. Founded in 2004 as a non profit organisation with a mission to create platform for artistic excellence, SPAN nurtures and develops talented individuals in dance, music, theatre and film empowering them to achieve their full potential.