International Dance Day – In 1982 the Dance Committee of ITI (International Theatre Institute) founded International Dance Day to be celebrated every year on the 29th of April, the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810), creator of modern ballet. The intention of the International Dance Day Message is to celebrate dance, revel in the universality of this art form, cross all political, cultural and ethnic barriers, and bring people together with a common language – dance.
Dance can be a fitness pastime a social activity or taken more seriously at the competition level. It can be enjoyed alone, with a dance partner or in a group.
When basic choreography involves coordinated dancing of two partners, this is known as partner dances. Finding a suitable partner for this style of dance is vital as good communication allows for a successful, harmonious dancing partnership.
If you do not belong to a dance club turning to connections and online resources can give you greater exposure and options. Women Talking have discovered Dancesport Pal a website that is dedicated to helping people find their perfect dance partner online.
How Dancesport Pal works
The good news is, this is a free service. It is there to make dancing more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
Sign up with your email address and fill in basic info about you to create your unique dancer profile.
Go to the “Partner Search” section, and start searching for dancers based on your criteria.
View other dancers’ profiles and drop them a message to start a conversation and arrange for a tryout.
Dancesport Pal will be developing the site and other dancing-related services are coming soon such as lesson/studio finder and dancewear advice, all with an aim to improve your dancing experience.
Benefits of having a regular dance partner
Having a connection and synergy with your partner is nothing but beneficial for your partnership. Having a regular dance partner gives you the option of being able to dance when you like, instead of having to pay for a group dance lesson every time you want to dance. It allows you to attend performances and competitions as a dance couple and of course, gives you the option to practice together outside of lessons to master your skills.
Benefits of dance
All styles of dance are a great stimulant for mental wellbeing, it can help to reduce stress and is a different way of expressing yourself.
Dancing will improve your physical fitness, improve balance and flexibility and improve your posture.
To build up your social calendar, dancing is a very sociable activity as you can get to dance with a variety of different people. This, in turn, may improve confidence particularly when dancing in front of strangers (not only in your dance lesson but also in a hall of hundreds of people if you do competitions)
Musicality. As you dance to different songs, you learn how to count the beats and how to perform the music by “playing” with the beats in your choreography.
Develop your creativity – as you get more experienced with dance, you can choreograph your own dancing by putting together different steps and figures, just like making a song with beats.
Poppy Watt