Dance Day celebrations
On the 29th of April, as every year since 1982, Dance Day is celebrated all over the world by many millions of dancers. It is an initiative of the International Dance Council CID, UNESCO, Paris.
Visit the official website www.danceday.cid-portal.org to find:
– Guidelines and ideas for celebrating
– The official message for Dance Day this year, as well as previous messages
– Events by country, region and city
– How to design your poster or flyer and send it to be posted there.
Please send this message to your contacts and to the media. We want Dance Day to become as well-known as Mother’s Day.
The official message for
Dance Day
29 April 2026
www.DanceDay.CID-world.org
Competition is the heartbeat of sports, but in the arts it is very marginal—which is normal. While athletic excellence is easily measured, artistic merit is notoriously difficult to quantify.
As young dancers increasingly seek titles to distinguish themselves, competitions have proliferated—but unlike strictly regulated sports championships, dance competitions remain unchecked.
Our priority is protecting dancers and the teachers who prepare them. To ensure a “winner” title carries genuine weight, organizers must adhere to universal standards. The **International Dance Council** has issued these essential guidelines:
– Liability: Full insurance coverage and a legally responsible person must be identified.- Transparency: Jury members, competitors, and winners must be listed publicly.
– Integrity: Rules must guarantee neutrality and fair play; the organizer should not appoint the jury.
– Fairness: Categories should be based on years of training, not age.
– Validation: No winner should be declared in categories with fewer than 10 competitors.
When competitions are oversaturated and titles are handed out too freely, winning loses its value and competing becomes a trap.
As much as performing, teaching, or creating dance should remain totally free, competing should be effectively regulated. This year, Dance Day is dedicated to the urgent regulation of competitions.
Prof. Dr. Alkis Raftis
President of the International Dance Council
CID, UNESCO, Paris
1. The official message for Dance Day is sent to dance professionals in 200 countries. Translate the message to your language, post it online, send it to the media. Find guidelines for your own celebration as well as previous DD messages at www.DanceDay.CID-world.org
2. Dance Day, every year on 29 April, established in 1982 and monitored by CID, aims at attracting attention to the art of dance. It is celebrated by millions of dancers around the globe. On that day dance professionals organize an event addressing an audience different from their usual one.
– The International Dance Council CID is the official global organization for Dance
– Its members are the most prominent federations, schools, companies and individuals in more than 180 countries
– CID was founded in 1973 within the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, where it is based
– CID is official partner of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
International Dance Council CID Conseil International de la Danse
CID, UNESCO, FR-75732 Paris 15, France
Tel. +33 1 4568 4953 WhatsApp +33 6 1155 3111
www.CID-world.org www.danceday.CID-world.org
www.facebook.com/DanceDayOfficial/ Instagram #CIDDanceDay