ANGELES CITY -- February is not just the season of hearts. It is also the season for the Arts.
This city is set to formally launch its month long celebration of the National Arts Month on February 5 at the Plaza Angel in Sto. Rosario.
The launch will be spearheaded by the local government, through the Angeles City Tourism Office (ACTO), together with several organizations in Angeles.
With the theme “Public Art: Art for All”, this year’s celebration brings Kapampangan artists and Angeleños together to pay tribute to the rich cultural arts in Angeles. This will be done through various activities including exhibits, competitions, performances, workshops and talks.
According to Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, the many events lined up for the month signify the city’s penchant for the local arts and culture, not to mention the people’s support for its local artists.
“The various and varied events are tangible manifestations of how Angeles has an abundance of artistic talent working on our local heritage and traditional treasures.” expressed the mayor.
Meanwhile, Dr. Richard Daenos of ACTO said that the preservation of culture and arts in Angeles is one way to promote tourism in the city.
“We treasure the things that are valuable to us. It is our culture, arts and traditions that inspire us to take good care of our city. ” Daenos said.
Sneak-peek
Teatro Angeleño, a group of young theater artists, will be imparting their talents in performing arts through acting and directing workshop starting february 1 to 19 at the Angeles City Library and Information Center. Aside from the workshop, Teatro Angeleño will also be staging a theater play titled “Synethesia: A 4/sk Twinbill Season Ender Production” on February 20 to 27 at the Arts and Garden Museum.
Another organizer, Sinukwan Kapampangan, will also be facilitating various workshops such as dance workshop (ballet, folk, jazz and contemporary) on February 1-29 at the Sinukwan Kapampangan Studio concurrently with Bale-balayan Ethnic Instrument Workshop on February 7, 14 and 21 at the Bale-balayan Museum for the Poor.
Art to Heart Concert Series will be held on February 12 to 14 at the Plaza Angel featuring Bale-balayan Kids, Comparsa Classica Rondalla and CCA Marching Band/ Dance Troupe who will all showcase their talents in music.
Likewise, the Teachers and Choreographers Dance Alliance (TACDA) will be carrying out their own Dance Concert on February 20 at the same venue. Groups of dancers and choreographers, on the other hand, will go head to head at the Angeles City Folk Dance Competition on February 26 at Marquee Mall.
Meanwhile young and promising artists, the Perreras Brothers, will be exhibiting their prize-winning paintings in line with the On-the-Spot Painting Competition on February 27 to 29 at the Nepo Mall Atrium.
Also, a month long fashion exhibit titled “Tribute to the Masters” will honor the artworks of Filipino artists, featuring the designs of Noel Calma , Philip Torres , Jhune Angeles, Rich Sabinian and Frederick Policarpio on February 8 until March 8. The designers’ masterpieces are namely inspired by Ben Cabrera’s “Sabel”, Fernando Amorsolo’s “Planting Rice”, Felix R. Hidalgo’s “Navigating the Underworld”, Araceli Dans “Melody in Blue” and Antonio Dumlao’s “Sarimanok”.
Finally, the local government will be holding the prestigious “Pupul ning Banua” Awards Night on February 26 at the Museo ning Angeles and will be awarding Angeleño artists who gained various national and international recognitions, awards and citations last year.
Every year, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) heads the celebration for the National Arts Month. It has been held every February since the signing of Presidential Proclamation 683 in 1991.
For more information, contact 0977-377-1585 or visit ACTO’s Facebook page at fb.com/AngelesCityTourismOffice.