Jamaica

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Jamaica joined the rest of the world last Friday (April 29) to mark World Dance Day which has been celebrated since 1982 when it was first adopted by UNESCO.

According to Jennifer Garwood, Dance Specialist at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), dance groups, dancers, choreographers and teachers contributed tremendously to the success of the inaugural staging of World Dance Day.

The International Dance Council (CID) emphasised that the theme 'Dancing in the Open' was proposed to make a step towards nature by celebrating Dance Day in open spaces: streets, squares, parks, stadiums, beaches, parking lots, clearings - anywhere under the sky.

The JCDC ensured that the day did not go unnoticed and was observed as stipulated by CID. The programme got under way promptly at curtain call with Edna Manley lecturer Kofi Walker's presentation to the poem 'I Love to Dance'. Greetings followed from UNESCO by Dr Kwame Boafo, director of UNESCO Jamaica who declared the proceedings 'open'.

The programme showcased a wide range of energetic and electrifying performances, including the 2010 JCDC World Reggae Dance Championship winners Anonymous, the Jamaica School of Dance, Dance Xpressionz, Portmore and St Theresa Preparatory School. Additionally, patrons were treated to delectable snacks from sponsors Nicies, National, Reggae Jammin' Chicken.

Beverley Edwards, parish organiser for St Andrew, NCSC enthusiastically summed up the event with one word, Wonderful! "I appreciate the interaction and intergenerational flair displayed today. In fact, I was at a meeting today and hurried back so I could be apart of this exciting and fun-filled dance day activity," she noted.

World Dance Day, every year on April 29, aims at attracting attention to the art of dance. It is celebrated by millions of dancers around the globe. The intention of World Dance Day is to bring all dances together, to celebrate this art form and revel in its universality, to cross all political, cultural and ethnic barriers and bring people together in peace and friendship with the common language of dance.

[http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/20110504/ent/ent9.html]