On April 29 the world celebrates the International Day of Dance. The International Dance Committee of UNESCO proposed that date for the event to commemorate the birth of Jean-Georges Noverre (April 29, 1717), the man considered the father of modern ballet. To mark the day, the Associació de Professionals de la Dansa de Catalunya (Catalan Association of Dance Professionals) organises a special dance event that will take place at 9pm in Plaça Salvador Seguí, which invites members of the public to come along to dance and discover the effects that dance can have on the body and, in particular, on the face.
The artist Mónica Muntaner will present the show 'Abans i després de ballar' ('Before and After Dancing'), which will consist of a solo performance with audiovisual support, followed by an invitation to some members of the audience to abandon their anonymity and get up on the stage for a free dance session of some 40 minutes. Forty members of the public can sign up for this activity, and they will be photographed before they climb on stage and start to dance. Once the 40 minutes are up, they'll be photographed once more, and the before and after images will be compared. The aim of the initiative on the part of APdC is to promote dance as a community exercise, as something that anybody can do without any judgements about aesthetics, and as a way that we can enjoy moving together.
Other activities will also be held, including demos and open classes in different spaces around the city. Check out the full programme on the web of the APdC.