Dance is a universal language, yet one that is profoundly concrete: it lives in bodies that express themselves through ideas and emotions in motion, in their effort, but also in their vulnerability, in the energy that flows through space and transforms into unique collective experiences. As Crystal Pite reminds us in her message for International Dance Day, there is a raw and essential dimension to dance — a place where humanity can reveal itself unfiltered and where, within every body, dance resides, along with the gestures and expressions of each choreography. In this space, movement becomes a testament to our times, reflecting the contemporary face of the world in which we live.

To celebrate dance today is to recognise its capacity to create closeness. Between those who create and those who observe, between those who dance and those who allow themselves to be moved, between communities, generations and geographies. Dance does not belong solely to the stage: it belongs to the streets, to schools, to homes, to the whole that is us, and which finds in movement a way of existing and communicating. In a time marked by profound changes, dance remains a place of freedom and imagination. A place where the future is experienced, where empathy is built, where unease is transformed into creation. Its strength lies in this ability to bring us together and to remind us that we share the same human condition.

This year, the celebration of World Dance Day takes on special significance as we approach the 50th anniversary of the National Ballet of Portugal (CNB Portugal) in 2027. Half a century of history that is not merely reflected in repertoire or memory, but above all in continuous movement: movement in creation, in openness, in bringing people together. Bringing artists and audiences closer together, bringing the stage closer to the regions, bringing art closer to everyday life. Dance is now establishing itself as an increasingly shared space, where new artistic territories and new ways of experiencing it are asserting themselves with courage and curiosity.

Today we also celebrate World Dance Day in a fully international context, reinforcing the National Ballet of Portugal's reach beyond borders. On 29 and 30 April, the Company presents its latest creation, Os Maias, at the renowned Lodz Ballet Festival, in the city of Łódź, Poland. This presence reaffirms our commitment to bringing Portuguese dance to new audiences and to actively participating in the international artistic dialogue that makes dance a true language without borders.

May this day, therefore, be an invitation: to draw closer, to listen with our eyes, to feel with our bodies. May dance remain alive in our present and open to what is yet to come.

Long live dance!

Fernando Duarte

The National Ballet of Portugal's Artistic Diretor