International Dance Day 
29th April 1999

• 1999 International Dance Day Message by Mahmoud REDA
• Background - International Dance Day - 29th April 
• Authors of the International Dance Day Message 1982 -1999 
• International Dance Links 
• International Dance Committee of the ITI

With this Message from Egypt, I pay tribute to all those who have devoted their lives to this most refined art. It is a great honour for me to include myself as one of them. I earnestly hope that the coming millenium will see the flourishing of all arts and in particular – Dance."

The date commemorates the anniversary  of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727 - 1810), the creator of modern ballet. 

Every year a message from a well-known dance personality is circulated throughout the world. The intention of International Dance Day and the Message is to bring all Dance together on this occasion, 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 a common language - DANCE. 

Since 1995, as an expression of the unity of Dance, the International Message has been jointly circulated by the three international dance organizations : 

 
 Mahmoud Reda (Egypt) was invited by the International Dance Committee of ITI to write the 1999 International Dance Day Message 
 
 Born on 18 March 1930 in Cairo, Egypt, Mahmoud Reda is a pioneer of dance theatre in Egypt. In 1959 he founded the first folk dance company « The Reda Troupe » to present Egypt’s rich dance heritage in theatrical form.
 
 Soloist, choreographer and director of hundreds of productions, Mahmoud Reda has toured in more than 60 countries, performing on the world’s most prestigious stages. He has also been principal actor, dancer and choreographer in popular Egyptian films.
 
 A participant in the Olympic Games in Helsinki in 1952, Mahmoud Reda represented Egypt in gymnastics after winning a gold medal in free exercise at the Arab Countries Championships–Alexandria in 1950 
 
 Mahmoud Reda holds a degree in commerce from the University of Cairo. 
 From 1982 to 1990 he was Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Culture. His publications include « In the Temple of Dance »

1. 1982: Henrik NEUBAUER 
2. 1983: anonymous 
3. 1984: Yuri GRIGOROVITCH 
4. 1985: Robert JOFFREY 
5. 1986: Chetna JALAN 
6. 1987: Dance Committee Board 
7. 1988: Robin HOWARD 
8. 1989: Doris LAINE 
9. 1990: Merce CUNNINGHAM 
10. 1991: Hans VAN MANEN 
11. 1992: Germaine ACOGNY 
12. 1993: Maguy MARIN 
13. 1994: Dai AILIAN 
14. 1995: Murray LOUIS 
15. 1996: Maïa PLISSETSKAÏA 
16. 1997: Maurice BEJART 
17. 1998: Kazuo OHNO 
18. 1999: Mahmoud REDA

Some International Dance Links : 

Events under the auspices of the ITI International Dance Committee : 
1. Varna International Ballet Competition (Bulgaria) email : varna_ibc@bulgarianspace.com website : http://www.bulgarianspace.com/music/varna_ibc 
2. USA International Ballet Competition, Jackson, Mississippi.(USA)  http://www.usaibc.com 
3. Helsinki International Ballet Competition (Finland).  anneli.kurki@teatteri.org    Website :  http://www.teatteri.org/balkilp.htm
4. New York International Ballet Competition (USA) nyibc@nyibc.org   website http://www.nyibc.org

1. Switzerland : http://www.tanznetz.ch/welttanz 
2. World Dance Alliance : http://www.idanews.com 

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