"Everything starts with movement"

Every April 29, International Dance Day is celebrated worldwide since, in 1982, UNESCO accepted the proposal of the International Dance Committee to choose a date to promote public participation and attention to the importance of the art and culture of dance. The birthdate of Jean-Georges Noverre, an 18th-century French dancer and writer, considered the creator of modern ballet due to the number of choreographies and publications related to this discipline that he bequeathed, was thus chosen.

Each year, a relevant personality from the world of dance is commissioned to write a message that is read in all parts of the globe where the event is celebrated. This year, that honor has fallen to Friedmann Vogel, principal dancer of the Stuttgart Ballet, who, in addition to having been named "Dancer of the Year" four times, holds the title of Kammertänzer, the highest German recognition for a dancer.

The President of the International Dance Council (CID)-UNESCO, Alkis Raftis, has also published a text drawing a parallel between Europe in 1941 and the current moment we are going through, to send a message of hope: "as Dance professionals, think about your role in the current situation of pandemic, lockdown, and curfew. People need you now and will need you after this crisis. Produce a vaccine against the virus of the soul: you know how to make people dance. Listen to the call: answer it!"

"Produce a vaccine against the virus of the soul: you know how to make people dance" (Alkis Raftis)

In Barcelona, every year an important celebration has taken place, not only at the level of large centers, such as the Mercat de les Flors or l'Institut del Teatre, but also at the neighborhood level, where the Civic Centers played an important role and programmed various proposals. Due to the current situation, l'Associació de Professionals de la Dansa de Catalunya has reinvented its proposal into an audiovisual format, led by dancer and choreographer Pere Faura and director Ignacio Castañé, who have produced ten video-dance pieces, each with an important protest intention.

There will be two albums with five tracks each, which will address issues such as the chronification of precariousness, low-quality overproduction, the elimination of exhibition circuits, the hyper-bureaucratization of management, corruption in certain programming spaces, the absence of dance in education, the low quality of higher education, the endless abuses of power, sexism, racism and the strong roots of old discriminations, and a long etcetera. If something is intended with the celebration of Dance Day, it is to bring together all those who have chosen this form of expression to overcome all kinds of cultural, political and ethical barriers and celebrate dance and its diversity.

15 dancers will embody the passion and desire to return to the stage, to share with the public

There will be 15 dancers that we will see in these productions, representing the diversity of gender, age, styles, and origins of dance professionalsin Catalunya, and filling with their movements spaces closely linked to culture. From the 11 creation factories in Barcelona (Sala Beckett, La Central del Circ, l'Espai Brossa, Nou Barris, Hangar, Graner, La Escocesa, el Tantarantana, la Nau Ivanov, la Fabra i Coats and la Caldera), to the Mercat de les Flors, and key cultural spaces in the provinces of Lleida, Girona and Tarragona, these dancers will embody the passion and the desire to return to the stage, to share with the public, after so much time stopped without the possibility of developing their art.

These videodance pieces can be viewed on the website of the Associació de Professionals de la Dansa de Catalunya and on their social networks.

There will be those who believe that dance is something only suitable for initiates, but it is quite the opposite, since anyone can create something beautiful with their movement. This was the opinion of the great dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch, who gave her dancers the freedom to show her movements that she then incorporated in a poetic way. For this reason, I do not want to stop recommending the wonderful documentary in her honor directed by Wim Wenders, called Pina. And as she said "dance, dance! Otherwise, you will be lost."

Friedmann Vogel's message this year says:

It all begins with movement, an instinct we all have and with which we seek to communicate. Just as a perfect technique is fundamental and impressive, ultimately what the dancer expresses with movement is the essence.

As dancers, we are in constant movement aspiring to create unforgettable moments. So when we are suddenly not allowed to dance, with theaters closed and festivals canceled, our world comes to a halt. No physical contact. No performance. No spectators. Never in recent history has the dance community been challenged in such a way to remain motivated and find its reason for being.

It is precisely when something precious has been taken from us that we truly appreciate how vital what we do is and how much dance means to society as a whole.

Dancers are continuously recognized for their physical prowess, when in reality we are sustained more by our mental strength. I believe it is precisely this unique combination of physical and psychological agility that will help us overcome, reinvent ourselves to continue dancing and continue inspiring"