The World Dance Education Alliance (WDEA) was initiated and established by Beijing Dance Academy (BDA) on its 70^th anniversary, inviting representative institutions and organizations in the education of the art of dance worldwide. The WDEA responds to the common aspiration worldwide to enhance collaboration and exchanges in the field of dance education and to build a dance talent training platform of synergy, innovation, and multilateral cooperation. A grand establishment ceremony was held on October 18 at Beijing Dance Academy with representatives of 52 institutions and organizations from 31 countries all over the world to witness the inauguration of the WDEA.

Ba Tu, Secretary of the CPC BDA Committee, made a speech on behalf of Beijing Dance Academy, the initiator of the WDEA. Mr. Ba expressed his gratitude to organizations and individuals that had contributed to the establishment of the alliance. The world today is undergoing unprecedented changes unseen in a century, as he emphasized, and thus the governance of the world and the development of human society need more than ever the guidance of common values shared by all humanity, the implementation of the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and the exploration of new concepts and thoughts that effectively promote international dialogue and cultural integration of the East and the West. The more challenging the times, the more resilient and radiant the arts will be. As a key form of art, dance has proved a splendid aspect in the exchanges and mutual learning between cultures globally with its unique characters and charms. It can become a significant carrier of art constantly facilitating global cultural exchanges.

The Secretary also stressed that Beijing Dance Academy, as a representative of higher education in dance arts in China, has remained committed to exchanges and mutual learning in the field of dance culture and dance education. The Academy initiated the WDEA this year at its 70^th anniversary as a critical measure to offer its 70 years of experience in education and donate China’s wisdom and solutions to world dance education. Gathering top institutions and organizations worldwide, the alliance builds a brand-new platform of synergy and innovation centering win-win cooperation in response to the common desire for deeper exchanges and cooperation of global dance educators. Through the concerted effort of all members, the WDEA will be a global guidance and demonstration for dance education, contributing its share to the prosperity and growth of dance arts globally.

Mr. Ernesto Ottone Ramírez, Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO, offered his congratulations to the 70^th anniversary of Beijing Dance Academy and the establishment of the WDEA through a video. He proposed that dance education has played a key role in developing the cultural sector and promoting mutual exchanges and understanding. The UNESCO Framework for Culture and Arts Education, which was voted through recently, aims to revitalize and strengthen the alliances of world culture and art education. The establishment of the WDEA is a direct response to the framework. Mr. Ramírez believes that the WDEA will lay a concrete foundation for the future of dance education worldwide.

Yang Jianglin, Second-Class Inspector of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, expressed his acknowledgment on behalf of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission to Beijing Dance Academy for initiating the WDEA. Mr. Yang also congratulated the establishment of the WDEA, which is not only a crucial innovation in international cooperation for dance education in China but also a new source of opportunities for dance institutions worldwide to communicate and cooperate. It is a practical attempt by the BDA after years of emphasis on internationalization and efforts in connecting with the world through arts and promoting cross-cultural exchanges and mutual learning through dance. Mr. Yang proposed that the alliance should play its leading role in global culture integration and focus on training and supporting young dance talents, making itself a role model of cooperation in cross-cultural education of arts.

The World Dance Education Alliance was officially inaugurated as the establishment buttons were pressed together by Hao Fenglin, First-Class Inspector of the Department of Physical, Health and Arts Education of MOE, Yang Jianglin, Second-Class Inspector of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, Ba Tu, Secretary of the CPC BDA Committee, Xu Rui, Director-General of the WDEA and President of the BDA, Anthony Doran Bowne, Principal of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and Nussipzhanova Bibigul, Rector of the Kazakh National Academy of Choreography.

The logo of the World Dance Education Alliance was officially released at the ceremony. Inspired by Dance, an oil painting created by the renowned French artist Henri Matisse in 1910, the logo is composed of five dancers embracing the letter D and circling up hand in hand. The five colors represent the dance educators in five continents dancing with joined hands in a circle. The circle expands without a limit, symbolizing the growing influence of the alliance. It is not only a visual identity of the WDEA, but also a symbol for the resolution and unremitting effort of dance educators worldwide in their joint pursuit of the high-quality development of dance arts education.

WDEA Deputy Director-General Anthony Doran Bowne, who is also Principal of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, made a speech as the representative of the alliance. He pointed out the unremitting efforts made by Beijing Dance Academy in facilitating world dance education cooperation. The establishment of the WDEA indicates that the BDA is forward-looking in world dance education and it has built a bridge of knowledge sharing and cooperation for dance institutions worldwide, which helps train future artists and leaders and push dance education forward.

Clare Jane Connor, Chief Executive Officer of The Place and London Contemporary Dance School, believed that the World Dance Education Alliance, initiated by Beijing Dance Academy, offers a dynamic and extensive communication platform for world dance education and art talent training. WDEA members should innovate through the alliance, meet the demands of the 21^st century, make cultures more diversified and inclusive, and solve the common challenges brought by globalization to enable a better future for world dance education.

Anna Maria Galeotti, Director of Accademia Nazionale di Danza, emphasized the importance of cooperation among world dance institutions in her speech. She mentioned that dancers today should be well-prepared physically while being sensitive to art and that institutions in all countries should get their students ready both mentally and technically. The WDEA should leverage the partnership of dance institutions to enhance the quality of their talents and thus facilitate the prosperity of dance arts.

Nussipzhanova Bibigul, Rector of the Kazakh National Academy of Choreography, said that the outstanding achievements of Beijing Dance Academy in the past 70 years inspire dance educators in all countries, including Kazakhstan. The establishment of the WDEA will spark the innovation and development of dance arts, become a driving force for international cooperation in dance education, and become a significant platform to exchange views and learn from each other, creating a brand-new chapter in dance education.

Rosanna Gamson, Dean of the Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance of California Institute of the Arts, mentioned that it is a remarkable step for Beijing Dance Academy, in the rapidly changing global context, to invite representative dance institutions and comprehensive academies worldwide to establish the WDEA. As isolated dance educators, we should hold up together through the platform, explore the opportunities to work with peers worldwide and do our part to realize the prosperity and growth of world dance education.

Andrei Bosov, Professor of Saint Petersburg State Conservatory named after N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov congratulated the WDEA for its establishment. He acknowledged the great contribution made by the Beijing Dance Academy to world ballet arts, especially its rise in China. The establishment of the WDEA pools the strength of leading dance institutes worldwide. He hopes to see strengthened cooperation, exchanges in teaching measures, and coordination in differences among education institutions from all countries through the platform so as to achieve prosperous development of dance arts through concerted efforts.

Xu Rui, President of the BDA, spoke as the Director-General of the WDEA and released the 2024 Beijing Initiative on Dance Education . He said that the BDA’s idea of establishing the World Dance Education Alliance together with representative dance institutes worldwide at the 70^th anniversary of the BDA was positively answered by dance institutes and arts groups all over the world. Several proposals are made by the WDEA through the Initiative: First, we should be open and inclusive, and promote exchanges and mutual learning to facilitate global integration and development of dance education; Second, we should strengthen cooperation and innovation to enhance dance education together; Third, we call for efforts in passing on and promoting dance cultures to foster diversified growth of culture; Forth, we should play an active part in achieving shared growth through collaboration to secure the sustainable development of the WDEA. World Dance Education Alliance will join hands with peers worldwide in exploration, development, and prosperity, contributing more wisdom and strength to the future of dance arts and the progress of human civilization.

Among the guests attending the event are also Dong Chuan, Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Communication of Beijing Municipal Education Commission, Maxim Chernyshev, Russian Cultural Counselor in China, Sarah Matthews , New Zealand Administrative Counsellor and Consul in China, Mou Boyi, Project Manager of Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy in China, Jiang Yuanyuan, Project Manager of Service of Cooperation for Culture and Education of France in China, Zhang Liangxue, Deputy Secretary of the CPC BDA Committee, Zhang Qiang, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC BDA Committee and Vice President of the BDA, Deng Youliu, Vice President of the BDA, Dong Ping, member of the Standing Committee and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of the CPC BDA Committee, and Hui Tong, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC BDA Committee and Vice President of the BDA.

The establishment ceremony was chaired by Su Ya, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC BDA Committee and Vice President of the BDA.

By far, 70 dance institutes from 38 countries have joined the World Dance Education Alliance, covering five continents all over the world. It demonstrates the representativeness of professional world dance educators and the localization and extensiveness of the community of arts. Beijing Dance Academy, upon the establishment of the WDEA, will pool the strength of experts and scholars worldwide in this field and build better communication and cooperation mechanisms for joint talent training, joint art practice, academic research, and teaching resources sharing. The BDA will also put up efforts to forge the WDEA into a resource-sharing platform pioneering world dance education, constantly raise the global influence of Chinese art education, take an active part in global art education governance, and provide the experience and strength of China for global dance education development.