The 2024 Theme

I-Body, I-Dance

I for Imagination, Improvisation, Inclusion, Identity, Intelligence and Interdisciplinarity

We do not have our body, we do not possess our body; we are our body! So we are: I – BODY (individual and common body).

Body and dance are inseparable. Creative dance and contemporary dance forms are primarily activities that emphasise children’s body awareness and movement creativity through the expression of free movement based on children’s imagination.

Everyone has IMAGINATION and imagination is very important both in teaching dance and in creating and observing dance. Imagination is the ability to connect and combine images, stories, concepts and movements to obtain a different “reading” than how they were first perceived and received. Kinetic imagination inspires movement and kinetic empathy can lead the mind to imaginative realms.

IMPROVISATION is a central component of contemporary dance, both as a way of creating movement and as a stage form. Dance improvisation is not only about creating new movements, but also about freeing the body from habitual patterns of movement. By emphasising the instinctive, unpredictable and free movement that is the focus of improvisation, the dancer can explore authentic feelings and inspirations.

Creative dance is INCLUSIVE. It promotes participation opportunities for people of all abilities and has many benefits for psychomotor, cognitive, affective and social development. The inclusion of creative dance in the curriculum is multifaceted in terms of its value as art, as movement, as therapy and as a teaching approach.

Creative dance has always been a reflection of IDENTITY and the culture of those who practise it. Creative dance builds bridges and embodies meaning; it has social value and serves as a means of intercultural communication.

There is an innate INTELLIGENCE in our body-mind. With creative dance, we can improve interpersonal intelligence, that is, the ability to deal with the feelings of others, which is characterised by sociability and empathy.

INTERDISCIPLINARY practices integrate thinking and knowledge from two or more disciplines, giving rise to new insights through the connections. Interdisciplinarity removes boundaries between disciplines and supports the principle that knowledge is interconnected, providing horizontal and vertical integration of knowledge, content and skills.