International Dance Day

30 Apr 2018

Hey dancers, apart from dancing, have you heard about international dance day?

In 1982 the Dance Committee of ITI founded International Dance Day to be celebrated every year on the 29th April, the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810), creator of modern ballet. The intention of the International Dance Day Message is to celebrate dance, revel in the universality of this art form, cross all political, cultural and ethnic barriers, and bring people together with a common language – dance.

Every year a message from an outstanding choreographer or dancer is circulated throughout the world. The author of the message is selected by the International Dance Committee of ITI and the Executive Council of ITI. The message is translated into numerous languages and circulated globally

Unfortunately there is another organization that claims they created International Dance Day. The truth is that it was the International Dance Committee of ITI that created the day in 1982, and since its first day it has always got eminent dancers and choreographers to write the message. The fact that it was the International Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute can be proved with facts.

For the sake of argument, we will only attach one document written by the Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO, Mr. Alfredo Pérez de Armiñán, written for the International Dance Day Celebration in Shanghai, 2015.

The goals of International Dance Day are:

To promote dance in all its forms across the world.
To make people aware of the value of dance in all its forms.
To enable the dance community to promote their work on a broad scale, so that governments and opinion leaders are aware of the value and importance of dance in all its forms and support it.
To enjoy dance in all its forms for its own sake.
To share the joy of dance with others.

The main pillars of ITI – the ITI Centres and Cooperating Members – are the driving force behind the celebration of International Dance Day in their country or region.

A celebration on the day itself or around it can be organized and promoted by anyone and everyone. Dance venues, theatre and dance institutions, theatre, dance and performing arts universities, government institutions, ministries of cultures, dance makers and dance lovers all over the world are invited to celebrate International Dance Day.

Sources:

https://www.international-dance-day.org

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Dance_Day