Figure 1.--These boys are deep in thought concentrating on their up coming turn at an Irish dancing competition. These competitions are called feises and many such competitions occir at each feis. The boys and girls compete separeately at most feises. |
Dance is celebrated annually on World Dance Day. Each year it is celebrated on April 29. Dance enthusists use the occasion to assess dance trends. Prof. Alkis Raftis, President of the International Dance Council, asked that his address on the occassion of World Dance Day be publicised. It contained interesting information about trends in modern dance.
In this last year of the 20th century, it is imperative to look back and
attempt a bird's eye view of the course of events regarding dance in the
last hundred years. Two major events will distinguish this past century's state of the dance on a world-wide perspective. Two new dance genres emerged at its outset, grew
consistently throughout its span, and had created a new space for their
respective forms by the end of the twentieth century: folk and modern dance.
Folk dance: Folk dance appeared when amateur dancers in the cities discovered they
could practice traditional, that is peasant, dances for recreation and for
stage presentation. These same dances were being abandoned steadily by
their original practitioners, the rural populations in traditional cultures.
Modern dance: Modern dance was born when professional dancers rejected the constraints of classical ballet and presented performances based on individual expression
and their concepts of what constituted free movement. During this century, classical ballet gained in variety, depth and refinement, in perfecting its incomparable technique, and in spreading to many countries who had not known it before. Ballroom dance acquired new friends and new methods, and expanded into the novel field of competition dance. Its "closed couple" dances found a counterpart in popular dance fashions that swept the youth of the world, like rock 'n' roll and discothèques.
It was a century of renaissance and "naissance" in dance.
Turning now to the next century, we would like to see:
- More communication between families of dance, though not abolishing the borderlines between them.
- Return to the ancestral global vision of dance, as part of an event incorporating music, movement, theater, song. Arts have shown a marked tendency to isolate themselves; they lose their poetic content in the process.
- More knowledge of the past, more consciousness of belonging to a line of evolution. There has been a rampant idolization of innovation. Even the wildest revolutionaries should know well what they revolt against. Even the most inspired creators cannot do without the study of their predecessors.
- More visibility for dance. In the past centuries dance used to be
omnipresent in private and public life, while during this century its
practice has retracted. Now sports have audiences ten times larger than
dance.
The recent boom of the last two decades is evidence supporting an
optimistic view of the future, for amateur as well as for professional
dancers.
The World Dance Day has been established in 1982 in view of attracting
attention to the art of dance, every year on the 29th of April.
On that day, dance companies, dance schools, organizations and individuals
are asked to organize an activity addressing an audience larger than their
usual one.
The International Dance Council (Conseil International de la Danse -
CID/ICD) is the official umbrella organization for all forms of dance in all
countries of the world. It is a non-governmental non-profit organization (NGO) founded in 1973 within the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, where it is based.
Its purpose is to act as a worldwide forum bringing together international,
national and local organizations as well as individuals active in dance.
It represents the interests of the dance world at large and consults
accordingly governments and international agencies.
The IDC in 2002 provided these guidelines for World Dance Day. They provide guidelines as a useful checklist for dance directors. This general term is meant to
include all people institutionally involved in the wider
field of dance: teachers, choreographers, group leaders,
journalists, researchers, associations, suppliers,
organizations etc.
The main purpose of Dance Day events is to attract the
attention of the wider public to the art of dance. Special
emphasis should be given to addressing a “new” public,
people who do not follow dance events during the course of
the year.
Dance Day events may be special performances, open-door
courses, public rehearsals, lectures, exhibitions, articles
in newspapers and magazines, dance evenings, radio and TV
programs, visits, street shows etc.
Events are primarily organized by dance companies, amateur
groups, schools, associations and other institutions active
in dance. Wherever possible, it is better for events to be
organized jointly with a non-dance institution such as a
government agency, a public school, a municipality, a
business enterprise, a trade union.
Organizers have full freedom to define the content of the
event. Make sure that you include general information on the art of
dance, its history, its importance to society, its universal
character. This can be done in a short speech, a note in the
program, a text distributed to those present. By adding this
dimension you make the event different from dance activities
taking place any other day. Read a message from a prominent personality, a poem, a
passage from a text by a famous author.
In order to achieve maximum success, it is important that
preparations start early enough. It is imperative to inform the press and generally the media about your event. Notify an organization holding a central position at
regional or national level, which should publish a list of
events planned for Dance Day. Entrance to events should preferably be free, or by
invitation. Invite persons who do not normally attend dance
events.
At best, events should take place in “new” places, such as
streets, parcs, squares, shops, factories, villages,
discotheques, schools, stadiums etc. By setting the event in original surroundings you stress the fact that this is an event dedicated to the universal family
of dancers.
Navigate the Historic Boys' Clothing Web Site:
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