International Dance Day in English. April – International Dance Day

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 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 some famous representative of the world of choreography is invited to address the public with a message reminding people of the beauty of dance.

Henrik Neubauer first delivered such a message on the occasion of International Dance Day 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, its first award ceremony and gala concert took place on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.

Movement is life, so dance! This motto perfectly reflects the essence of one of the types of art that can unite people of different ages, nationality and religion. Dance Day 2019 is truly an event on a planetary scale; it is celebrated by residents of many countries. Therefore, this day is not only professional dancers, but also all those who love to dance.

Why is the holiday celebrated on April 29?

On this day, the famous French choreographer Jean-Jacques Noverre was born, who lived and worked in mid-18th century century. He freed the dancers from bulky, uncomfortable clothing, which greatly restricted their movements and did not allow them to do much. His merits in the development of basic principles classical ballet, the Frenchman wrote many treatises on this topic. It is curious that before Noverre’s innovations, the dance direction always existed in conjunction with opera and complemented the performance of singers. Noverre was the first to make ballet an independent performance with its own plot, drama and characters. It is not surprising that when UNESCO approved International Dance Day in 1982 official holiday, the date of its celebration is the birthday of the famous choreographer and founder of modern ballet.

A reason to start dancing

If you have never practiced this type of art or for some reason abandoned it, on the eve of this date you should, if not start dancing, then at least think about it. Decide on your direction and start choosing a school or club. In any city (no matter how large or small) there is such an establishment. There are plenty of genres - everyone will find something to their liking. Ballroom dancing, breakdancing, modern, tango, hip-hop, bachata, flamenco - the choice is endless.

International Dance Day: holiday scenario

It is celebrated in many parts of the world, including in our country, in various formats. IN major cities Thematic performances, concerts, and competitions are held. Dance studios organize open lessons, invite everyone to try themselves in various directions. Flash mobs, parties and other themed events are held. They accept Active participation not only those who chose Terpsichore’s craft as their profession and dedicated their lives to it, but also amateurs - both young and old.

Do you want to celebrate International Dance Day 2019 and are wondering how to do it? Organize a dance procession with the participation of professional dancers... Or get together with a group and invite a dancer to give you a master class. Choose the genre you would like to master and start learning right on April 29th. You can also arrange a flash mob, which is popular nowadays, by entrusting its staging. All this action is definitely worth capturing as a memory, so everything that happens will not be superfluous at all. In our catalog there are many professionals who perform reportage photography.

Whatever format you choose to celebrate this day, the main thing is to come with good mood and dance!

Dance, regardless of style and direction, is international language body, understandable to people of all nationalities. With the help of movements and gestures in dance, the emotional experiences of the dancer are reflected. This type of art has a history of development spanning thousands of years, and each era has left its mark on the form and structure of the dance. But century after century, in every country, among people of different religions, the dance gained more and more popularity.

April 29 - International Dance Day

Officially, the art of dance received worldwide recognition only in 1982 by decision of the International Dance Committee created by UNESCO. It was decided to set the day on which International Dance Day is celebrated on April 29th. And the date was not chosen by chance. After all, it was on this day that the founder of modern ballet theater, student of the “Great Dupre” Jean Georges Noverre. The legendary choreographer and choreographer, recognized during his lifetime, created the famous theoretical work “Letters on Dance and Ballets.” In this book, he was able to outline all the experience in the field of choreography that he had accumulated over the years. long years practices. And even today the book is the most popular guide among ballet theater fans.

World Dance Day is professional holiday for everyone who has even the slightest connection to dance. This day is celebrated by teachers, choreographers, professional and amateur groups dance groups, artists of all levels, patrons and investors. Honoring the dance art form is carried out by organizing performances, exhibitions, street shows, dance flash mobs, holding public lectures, TV shows dedicated to dance, articles in magazines and newspapers.

In addition, to international day dance in 1991, it was decided to coincide with the annual ballet festival. Later, in support of ballet veterans, the “Benoisdeladance” choreography award was created, which includes 6 nominations. Gala concerts are held at best scenes world: Grand Theatre in Moscow, Opera Garnier, National Theater, Stuttgart Staatstheater and Barlin Opera in Germany. As a reward, honored ballet workers receive a small figurine created according to the design of the great-nephew of the Alexandra Benois. And in the field of dance, this award is considered no less worthy than an Oscar statuette for filmmakers.

Also, traditionally, every year one of the most famous representatives of world choreography addresses the public. IN different years Yuri Grigorovich and Maya Plisetskaya, Robert Joffrey as the US representative, Stefan Page from Australia, Lin Hwai-ming from Taiwan, Julio Bocca from Argentina and even the King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni spoke from Russia. But which country would not be represented? famous dancers, all of them in their messages talk about their love for this art form and the ability of dance to reflect the state of the soul through body movements.

In 2014, French choreographer Murad Merzouki addressed a message to the International Dance Day, who managed to combine the breaking tricks of hip-hop with acrobatics in his productions modern dance and put the resulting combination on ballet stage. His address contained words of sincere love for dance, gratitude this species art for the ability to experience this world in all its beauty, pride in participation in the world of art, dressed in the form of dance, as well as sympathy, empathy and the desire to help people who, for whatever reason, are deprived of the opportunity to express themselves in dance.

International Dance Day 2019 is celebrated on April 29. It is dedicated to all styles of dance. IN festive events participate dance groups, schools and ensembles, professional artists classical schools, ballet and folk art, representatives modern trends(breakdancing, tectonics), choreographers, directors, lovers of moving to the beat of the music.

history of the holiday

International Dance Day was founded in 1982 by UNESCO, an agency of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The date of the holiday was suggested by Russian dancer, teacher and choreographer Pyotr Gusev. On this day, April 29, 1727, the French choreographer and founder of modern ballet Jean-Georges Noverre was born.

Holiday traditions

Traditionally April 29 famous representative dance world addresses the public with a message about the meaning and beauty of dance. In 1984 he performed Soviet choreographer Yuri Grigorovich, in 1996 - Russian ballerina Maya Plisetskaya.

Dance festivals and competitions take place on this day. Dance schools hold open days. Flash mobs are organized. Dance evenings are organized.

In Russia, on International Dance Day, choreographers, conductors, composers and artists are awarded the professional ballet award “Soul of Dance”.

Have an interesting day

Task for today: Express feelings for another person through dance

International Dance Day is a holiday dedicated to all styles of dance, celebrated on April 29. This art form unites people, erasing political, cultural and ethnic boundaries, allowing them to speak one language - the language of dance.

We suggest celebrating this holiday creatively - express your feelings for another person through dance.

  • December 11 is International Tango Day.
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  • In Russian, the word “dance” appeared in XVII century. Before this, the word “dance” was in use.
  • The Dance Museum has been operating in the capital of Sweden, Stockholm, since 1953.
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  • The most famous ballet performance in the world is Swan Lake.
  • First in Russia ballet performance took place in 1673.

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.