University of San Agustin and Co. ERASGA Forge Partnership Through MOU Signing
The University of San Agustin (USA) and Co. ERASGA, an internationally acclaimed contemporary dance company, formally established a partnership on 26 August 2026 through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), opening opportunities for collaboration in culture, heritage, the performing arts, and creative engagement.
The signing brought together representatives from USA, led by University President Rev. Fr. Arnel S. Dizon, OSA, and Co. ERASGA, led by Founder and Artistic Director Mr. Alvin Erasga Tolentino. The partnership is anchored on shared interests in cultural identity, heritage, creativity, and cross-cultural dialogue.
Welcoming Co. ERASGA to the University, Rev. Fr. Arnel S. Dizon, OSA, University President, highlighted the significance of bringing artistic practice and heritage work together.
“This occasion is meaningful because it brings together two institutions that recognize the power of culture, creativity, and human encounter in deepening our understanding of who we are and how we relate to one another,” Fr. Dizon said.
The partnership will particularly engage the University’s Center for Heritage and Indigenous Cultures (CHIC), providing opportunities to explore heritage and culture not only through study and preservation, but also through creative practice and the performing arts.
For 25 seasons, Co. ERASGA has presented critically acclaimed contemporary dance productions across Asia, Europe, South America, Canada, and more than 60 cities worldwide. Its work explores themes of cultural identity, ethnicity, ancestry, gender, hybridity, and intersectionality, while promoting cross-cultural dialogue.
The partnership also carries a meaningful Filipino dimension through the artistic leadership of Filipino-Canadian Alvin Erasga Tolentino, whose work brings Filipino heritage into broader global artistic conversations.
Fr. Dizon further emphasized that the collaboration reflects the University’s understanding of internationalization as a meaningful human and cultural encounter.
“For us, internationalization is likewise not simply about establishing connections across geographical borders. It is about creating meaningful encounters between people, cultures, ideas, and traditions,” Fr. Dizon said.
The MOU provides a framework for potential artistic projects, cultural initiatives, exchanges, creative research, and opportunities for students, faculty, artists, and communities to learn and create together.
The partnership marks another step in USA’s continuing commitment to strengthening cultural and international linkages while advancing its Augustinian mission of unitas, caritas et veritas—unity, charity, and truth.
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