World Dance Day is celebrated every year on April 29, which is the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810), the French dancer and the Creator of ballet of action, the precursor of the narrative ballets of the 19th.
The day was created by the Dance Committee of the ITI (International Theater Institute) and was officially recognized by the United Nations in 1982 and has since been celebrated in all the member countries.
The message of International Dance Day is to celebrate dance and savor the universal language of this art form, which crosses political, cultural, geographical and ethnic barriers, brings together people all over the world.
Each year the ITI International Dance Committee selects an outstanding choreographer or dancer who conveys its message. The message is translated into many languages and distributed around the world.
The message of this year, 2021, belongs to the ballet dancer Friedemann VOGEL, who has a long and glorious international career, and it talks about the COVID-2 period and its limitations:
"...As dancers, we are constantly on the move, aspiring to create these unforgettable moments. Regardless of the dance genre, it’s what every dancer strives to achieve.
So, when all of a sudden, we aren’t allowed to perform anymore, with theatres closed and festivals cancelled, our worlds come to a standstill. No physical contact. No shows. No audiences. Never in recent history has the dance community been so collectively challenged to stay motivated, to find our raison d’être..." (Link to source)
To celebrate International Dance Day every year, on April 29, the International Theater Institute invites its members along with dancers, choreographers, dance students and amateurs to join them in the celebration. The gala celebration takes place in a selected host city decided by the Executive Council of the International Theater Institute - for example in 2017 it was held in Shanghai, China and in 2018 it was in Havana, Cuba. The program of the gala event can vary, but usually consists of quality dance performances from around the world, student performances, keynote speeches, and a recital for the event of that year that reads, in person, the author of the chosen message in those years.
How to celebrate International Dance Day?
One way to celebrate International Dance Day is to start dancing. Sign up for a dance class or learn on your own from instructional videos. It does not matter what type of dance you choose, the main thing is that you will love it and express yourself with it. You can upload photos and videos of yourself dancing to social media with the hashtag #InternationalDanceDay. Another way to celebrate is to watch dance performances or movies about dance and dancers like: Fame (1980), Flashdance (1983), Footloose (1984), White Nights (1985), Dirty Dancing (1987), Billy Elliot (2000), Step Up (2006), Black Swan (2010) and more ...
April 29 is also World Wish Day and Zipper Day