Abuja – Mr Adedayo Liadi, the Artistic Director, Ijodee Dance Centre, Lagos, said that dance had the power to evoke some inner feelings that would possibly clear forms of illness.

He told reporters in a telephone interview on Monday in Abuja that dance came from the inside with an ability to inspire both on lookers and the dancers.

The International Dance Day, also known as World Dance Day, was introduced in 1982 by the International Dance Committee of the UNESCO International Theatre Institute.

The day was chosen to commemorate the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre, who was born in 1727, a French Dancer and Ballet Master and a great reformer of dance.

Speaking on the International Dance Day, Liadi said that the day was set aside to increase the awareness of the importance of dance among the general public.

He said that the goal was to persuade governments all over the world to provide a proper place for dance in all systems of education.

He urged young people interested in dancing to be prayerful and see dance as a profession, not just dancing for the sake of it.

Liadi advised parents not to discourage their wards from taking to dancing as a profession, adding that dancing was a `big time business’.

Prof. Ahem Yerima, Artistic Director, National Troupe of Nigeria, said dance was a type of art that involved movement of the body, often rhythmic and to music.

He said it was performed in many cultures as a form of emotional expression, social interaction, or exercise, in a spiritual or performance setting, and is sometimes used to express ideas or tell a story.

Yerima said dance could also be regarded as a form of non-verbal communication between humans or other animals, as in bee dances and behaviour patterns such as mating dances.

Meanwhile, a cross section of Nigerians view dance differently, some are of the belief that there are certain dance steps that should not be danced in the church while others see nothing wrong with dance styles.

Mr Dan Davic, a dancer, described dance as the most vibrant part of African culture that went hand in hand with music. (NAN)