International Dance Day history of the holiday. World Dance Day

The international organization UNESCO comes up with the most unusual holidays. These include International Dance Day, which will be celebrated around the world on April 29. The date of the holiday coincides with the birthday of the French choreographer Novera, who introduced whole line revolutionary solutions in the art of dance. He is also called father modern ballet. The maestro himself was the director of many troupes, including the head of the famous London Ballet. He was the first to propose such directions as heroic ballet and tragedy ballet.

One dance

One of the main reasons why World Dance Day is held is to unite movements and schools into a single movement, an art form. It is important that dance transcends political boundaries and unites people different cultures, beliefs and thoughts. When the dance day was conceived by officials from UNESCO, its goal was to unite the world's population into a single space.

How to celebrate dance day

This day is celebrated in different ways: in some places performances are held, in others dancers travel to schools and kindergartens, and in others they even organize large free street performances. In any case, dance day turns into an interesting, vibrant event for residents of every city. Popular idea recent years- These are large flash mobs that are organized by dancers on the streets. And every year the main characters– dancers, choreographers and troupe directors, deliver a great message to the public. This proves that dance is a truly separate language.

No one can say for sure why people dance and when they started doing it. It is important that dance unites people; moreover, it is an activity that is one of the most significant elements world culture. There are a great many varieties of dances. This and classical choreography, and folk dances, and modern, and ritual...

In any case, we are dealing with universal language expressions of emotions understandable to people of all nationalities on the planet. And it’s nice that every year we have a reason to congratulate everyone related to this wonderful art form.

Story

We owe the emergence of World (International) Dance Day to UNESCO, international organization, which is in charge of cultural issues on a global scale. The initiative to establish the holiday has arisen several times since the time of the famous “Russian Seasons” of Sergei Diaghilev. However, the final decision was made much later - in 1982.

The date chosen was the birthday of the legendary dancer of the London Drury Lane Theater, choreographer and choreographer Jean Nover, who worked at the end of the 18th - early XIX century. It is to him that the honor of creating modern classical choreography and its codification in the famous work “Letters on Dance and Ballet” belongs. “Letters...” to this day are reference book everyone related to high art choreography.

Traditions

The celebration of World Dance Day, as befits a creative holiday, is taking place magnificently and vigorously. Participating in it:

  • choreographers;
  • directors;
  • ballet dancers;
  • dance groups of various genres all over the planet.

It is difficult to list all the events and promotions that take place on this day in theater halls, stadiums, open stage areas, as well as on the streets and squares of cities. Quite traditional and conservative concerts and performances classical ballet compete with performances of groups modern dance and themed flash mobs. They are preparing their premieres for the holiday dance groups all genres and styles. International festivals are also held.

As for the official level, every year on this day one of the titans of the world of dance always addresses the world community with a message on the topic, which reminds of the holiday and the importance dance art for world culture.

Every year on April 29, International Dance Day is celebrated around the world. This holiday, dedicated to all styles of dance, began to be celebrated in 1982 on the initiative of the International Dance Council (CID) of UNESCO on the birthday of the French choreographer Jean-Georges Noverre, reformer and theorist choreographic art, who went down in history as the “father of modern ballet.”

Jean-Georges Noverre (April 29, 1727 - October 19, 1810) - French choreographer, choreographer and ballet theorist, student of choreographer L. Dupre. He performed as a dancer and headed the ballet company at the Drury Lane Theater in London.

Noverre developed the principles of heroic ballet and tragedy ballet. In 1759, his famous work “Letters on Dance and Ballets” was published, where Noverre substantiated the principles of a ballet-play, embodied by means of effective pantomime and dance in the collaboration of a composer, choreographer and artist. Therefore, according to the founders, main idea of this holiday- the unification of all areas of dance as a single art form, and the Dance Day itself is an occasion to honor her, and also her ability to overcome all political, cultural and ethnic boundaries, the ability to unite people in the name of friendship and peace, allowing them to speak the same language language - the language of dance. Photo: Yuri Arcurs, Shutterstock And, of course, on this day the whole dancing world - opera and ballet theater groups, modern dance troupes, modern ballroom and folk dance and others, both professional and amateur artists, will celebrate their professional holiday. The forms of celebration are very diverse - from traditional concerts and performances to dance flash mobs and unusual performances.


According to the founders, the International Dance Day is intended to unite all areas of dance, to become an occasion to celebrate this art form, its ability to overcome all political, cultural and ethnic boundaries, the ability to unite people in the name of friendship and peace, allowing them to speak the same language - the language of dance .

According to tradition, every year well-known representative the world of choreography is invited to address the public with a message reminding people of the beauty of dance.

For the first time with such a message on the occasion International Day dance performed by Henrik Neubauer in 1982. Also delivering messages were:

1984 - Yuri Grigorovich, choreographer (Russia)

1985 - Robert Joffrey, choreographer (USA)

1990 - Merce Cunningham, dancer and choreographer (USA)

1991 - Hans van Manen, choreographer (Holland)

1993 - Maggie Marin, choreographer (France)

1997 - Maurice Bejart, choreographer (France)

1998 - Kazuo Ono, dancer, one of the founders of butoh dance (Japan)

2000 - Jiri Kylian, choreographer (Holland) and Alicia Alonso, ballerina (Cuba)

2001 - William Forsythe dancer and choreographer, creator of improvisation techniques, (USA-Germany)

2002 - Katherine Dunham, one of the first African-American dancers (USA)

2003 - Mats Ek, choreographer and theater director(Sweden)

2004 - Stefan Page, choreographer (Australia)

2005 - Miyako Yoshida, ballerina (Japan-UK)

2006 - Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia

2007 - Sasha Waltz, choreographer (Germany)

2008 - Gladys Agulhas, dancer and choreographer (South Africa)

2009 - Akram Khan, dancer and choreographer (UK)

2010 - Julio Bocca, dancer and choreographer (Argentina)

2011 - Anna Teresa de Keersmaeker, dancer and choreographer (Belgium)

2013 - Lin Hwai-ming, dancer and choreographer (Taiwan)

2014 - Lopatkina, Ulyana Vyacheslavovna, Russian ballet dancer, prima ballerina Mariinsky Theater in 1995-2017.

On the same day in 1991, the Benois Dance Prize was established, and in 1992 on stage Bolshoi Theater His first award ceremony and gala concert took place in Moscow.

All countries celebrate World Dance Day. This event is dedicated to everyone dance styles. The founding date of the holiday is 1982, and the initiator was UNESCO. The date was not chosen at all by chance. It was on this day in 1727 that the world-famous choreographer Jean-Georges Noverre was born, who went down in history as the founder of modern ballet.” Among his teachers was famous choreographer Louis Dupre. Noverre's debut took place in Fontainebleau at the royal court of ruler Louis XV. At that time, the aspiring dancer was only 15 years old. After a successful performance, the young man was immediately invited to Germany. Upon returning to his homeland, he got a job in the ballet troupe of the Opera-Comic Theater. A few years later, Noverre legalized his relationship with actress Margarite-Louise Sauveur.

In the same year, after the next closure of the Opera-Comic theater due to financial difficulties, Jean-Georges went to tour By European cities. For several years he gave performances in Strasbourg and Lyon, and then moved to the UK (London), where he worked for two years in the team of artist David Garik. Noverre maintained friendly relations with this man throughout his life, and subsequently called him “Shakespeare in dance.” While performing in his troupe, Jean-Georges decided to create a personal dance show, separate from the opera. Indeed, until this time, ballet was used only as a small element in the opera. For a long time he contemplated serious dance theme and choreographic dramaturgy, planning to turn the ballet into a complete performance with the development of the plot and the characters of the main characters.

In 1754, upon his arrival in France, at the newly opened Opera-Comique theater, Noverre organized his debut ballet performance, which was extremely popular. At the end of the 18th century, he summarized all the skills and experience in the field of choreography and noted it key features in the work “Letters on Dance and Ballets,” popular among experts, which became the first theoretical work in the field of dance art.

The main goal of the holiday is to unite all choreographic styles as a single art form. According to the founders, Dance Day is a good reason to overcome political, social, cultural and national boundaries, an opportunity to unite all people in the name of peace and friendship, allowing them to communicate in the same language of dance. On this day the entire dancing society - theatrical and ballet companies, modern choreographic groups, folk dance ensembles and ballroom ensembles and other artists celebrate their professional date. The forms of celebration are very different - standard performances and concerts, thematic flash mobs and non-standard performances. The official part of the holiday necessarily includes an address to the society of any famous representative dance world with a message that reminds people of the importance of the art form of choreography.

If you want to know what date Dance Day is and everything about this holiday, read this article.

Before we talk about when the dance day is, we must first of all remember the great man, the theorist of choreographic art Jean-Georges Novera. After all, it is thanks to the complete dedication of our lives to the development of dance and ballet that we have the opportunity to celebrate such a wonderful modern holiday- International Dance Day, which is celebrated on April 29.


Who is Jean-Georges Noverre?

In fact, this is a most unique person, who, back in the eighteenth century, was able to see the perspective of such art as choreography and ballet, understanding its relevance and modernity at all times.

He believed that dance would never go out of fashion, that as long as people exist, they will always be able to express through beautiful and graceful body movements those feelings that cannot be expressed in words.

Jean-Georges was born on April 29, 1727 (died on October 19, 1810) in France. WITH youth became one of the best students of choreographer L. Dupre, and subsequently led an entire ballet troupe in one of famous theater that time "Drudy Lane" in London (England).

Nover saw and felt dance in everything: in rain, wind, in battle and in love, but mainly specialized in heroic ballet, also in play ballet and tragedy ballet.

Nover outlined all his knowledge and achievements in his work “Letters on Dance and Ballets.” the main idea, the work is that in the union of a choreographer, composer and artist it is possible to achieve an amazing transmission of the meaning of the work through dance and pantomime. This book was published in 1759, but today it is considered a bestseller in the theory of choreographic art.

When is Dance Day and how is it celebrated?

In 1982, by decision of UNESCO, the birthday of Jean-Georges Novera, April 29, became International Dance Day. From this day on, he is called throughout the world a great reformer and the “father of modern ballet.”

All over the world, dancers and choreographers, choreographers and folk dance masters celebrate their professional holiday. Television in many countries broadcasts programs about great dancers, choreographers and choreographers, their life stories, contributions to the development of ballet and great achievements.

Theater and ballet troupes are preparing productions for this holiday greatest playwright and composers of the world to show all humanity the divine grace of ballet.

But behind all this there is backbreaking work every day and a huge amount of work, because ballet art has always been and remains a privilege only for the talented, most patient and persistent dancers. Maybe this is why there are not many real dance masters in the world.