International Dance Day
Next: April 29, 2027
Dance like everyone's watching.
The story
Where it comes from
International Dance Day was founded in 1982 by the Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), UNESCO's main partner for the performing arts. It falls on 29 April, the birthday of the French choreographer Jean-Georges Noverre (1727–1810), whom ITI calls the creator of modern ballet. In his Letters on Dancing and Ballets (1760), Noverre argued that ballet should tell a story and express real feeling rather than simply show off technique, an idea he called ballet d'action. The day celebrates dance as a language everyone shares.
How it's celebrated
Every year ITI invites an outstanding choreographer or dancer to write a message for the day, which is shared with dancers and audiences around the world. Dance companies, schools and studios put on performances and events, and many open their doors to newcomers. The easiest way to join in needs no training at all: put on a song you love and dance.
Did you know
- ITI was founded in Prague in 1948 with China among its eight founding national centres, and its headquarters are now in Shanghai.
- ITI was the first non-governmental organisation associated with UNESCO.
- When his book came out, Noverre was ballet master to the Duke of Württemberg and had already worked in theatres in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and London.
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