Baryshnikov’s International Dance Day message: ‘Dance can awaken empathy, inspire kindness’

International Dance Day, observed worldwide every April 29, was created by the Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute ITI, the main partner for the performing arts of UNESCO. It is a celebration day for those who can see the value and importance of the art form “dance,” and acts as a wake-up-call for governments, politicians and institutions which have not yet recognized its value to the people and to the individual and have not yet realized its potential for economic growth.

Since its creation in 1982, the International Dance Committee and the International Theatre Institute ITI have selected an outstanding dance personality to write a message for International Dance Day each year. For 2025, it has chosen ballet icon Mikhail Baryshnikov of Latvia and the USA to give the official International Dance Day message. 

By Mikhail Baryshnikov

It’s often said that dance can express the unspeakable. Joy, grief, and despair become visible; embodied expressions of our shared fragility. In this, dance can awaken empathy, inspire kindness, and spark a desire to heal rather than harm.

Especially now—as hundreds of thousands endure war, navigate political upheaval, and rise in protest against injustice—honest reflection is vital. It’s a heavy burden to place on the body, on dance, on art. Yet art is still the best way to give form to the unspoken, and we can begin by asking ourselves: Where is my truth? How do I honor myself and my community? Whom do I answer to?

Choreographies:
Nais Ko
Don Quixote
Giselle
Ibong Adarna
Cinderella
Ang Kapatid ng Tatlong Marya
Florante at Laura
Sotto Voce
Dancing to Verdi