Dance isn’t discriminatory, It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, male or female, what tribe or nationality you’re from, anyone can dance. First of all, dance is art. Dance is a means of expressing one’s self through rhythmic movement. Different cultures produce different dance moves, from the African dance steps to the popular Bollywood type of dance moves, to the hip-hop and many more different dance types, we can say there are a lot of dance movements when exploring on a global scale. An important day in the world of dance is International Dance Day celebrated yearly every April 29 which is day dance enthusiasts always look forward to.
History:
The International Dance Day was created in 1982 by the dance committee of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), the main partner for the performing arts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Up to date, the ITI is still responsible for the organization of the event.
Why International Dance Day is celebrated?
It is a special day set aside for celebrating the beauty of dance globally, for remembering the influence of Jean-Georges Noverre who created modern ballet and published the legendary book “Lettres sur la danse et les ballets (letters about dance and ballets)” that forever changed the way ballet was viewed. By the celebration of this day, people are encouraged to participate and know more about the history of dance, the positive benefits of dance such as improving general health standards.
By celebrating international dance day, people passionate about dance, who know the true value of dance, create awareness on the importance of dance to encourage not only individuals but also organizations as well as the government so as not to neglect the dance community.
How is it celebrated?
Every year, the International Theatre Institute organizes a Gala event in a city of choice. Attending this event are the members of the ITI, renowned dancers, choreographers, students, and people passionate about dance. Top-tier dance performance by professionals, students occurs during this event in the host city and across the globe. Humanitarian projects, dance festivals, workshops to educate people are also achieved during this event. In your country, dance events can be organized locally to celebrate this day.
In this current period where the world is still battling COVID-19, this event can be celebrated in our various homes by taking a choreographed video of ourselves dancing and posting on social media to create awareness towards the cause.
Happy International Dance day:
Many people are still not aware of the celebration and importance of International Dance Day. The benefits of this event are manifold as dance is beneficial to our health, it is a good way to de-stress, and it unifies people of different backgrounds, ethnic and cultural groups together.
