THE Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCYS) is hosting its second Dance Festival in observance of International Dance Day 2015 at the National Cultural Centre today starting at 7:00pm. The Ministry held its first dance festival in 2014 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the National Dance School which also coincided with International Dance Day celebrations.
This year over 20 dance groups will participate in the dance festival which will take place at the National Cultural Centre today and performances will commence at 7:00pm.
There will be dance groups such as Kreative Arts, Unique Arts, Dharmic Nrittya Sangh, Apsara, X Factor, the Surama Culture Group, the Mainstay Culture Group, Dance Fanatics, National Dance School, National Dance Company, Dominion Dance Company, Praise Prophetic Dance Group, Crystallite Dance Company and Classique Dance Company, among others.
The participating dance groups represent a wide cross section of Guyanese dance culture. Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony met with the indigenous groups from Regions 2 (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and Region 9 (Upper Takutu-Upper Esequibo) that will be participating in the dance festival.
While interacting with them at his Main Street office, Minister Anthony emphasised the importance of cultural education that is made possible through the schools managed by the Ministry.
The Minister also highlighted that the festivals developed by the Ministry is a good stage for the display of the talents of Guyanese. The festivals Minister Anthony was referring to are the Choral Festival, Drama Festival, Dance Festival and the Visual Arts competition and exhibition.
Anthony lauded the Indigenous Song Festival, the first of which was held in 2014. He noted that many people who attended the event were not prepared for what they experienced and they were astonished by the pieces delivered by the indigenous groups in their native languages.
That particular festival, he added, is one of the projects undertaken by the Ministry which seeks to preserve the indigenous languages. Over the years the Ministry of Culture has spearheaded the publication of dictionaries on the indigenous languages.
The engagement with Minister Anthony and indigenous culture groups saw the parties discussing ways of enhancing culture in their respective communities so as to ensure sustainability and preservation of the languages, music, dance and customs.
Over the years the MCYS has made positive strides towards the continued development of Guyana’s cultural heritage through activities that are educational, informative and entertaining.

By Rebecca Ganesh