As the day was marked by the World Dance Day, a sizeable number of enthusiastic dancers came together at the programme. Apart from the inauguration and closing ceremony in Dhaka, the weeklong festival continued in other district towns such as Khulna, Sylhet, Barisal, Rajshahi, Faridpur, Mymensingh, Bogra and

Chittagong.

Former Director General of Bangla Academy Dr. Ashraf Siddiqi was the chief guest at the event. Rahiza Khanam Jhunu, president of BNSS, presided over the programme. Shaju Ahmed, general secretary of BNSS, also spoke at the event.

In his speech the chief guest Dr. Ashraf Siddiqi said, "Presentation of the indigenous culture of this region is the key feature of the traditional dance forms of Bangladesh. Our folk culture appears colourfully in dance. Bangladeshi artists have been performing folk-based dance overseas, which has received plaudits."

Claiming the festival "a success", Shaju Ahmed said that BNSS has received positive response at every venue.

Rahiza Khanam Jhunu said, "Besides renowned artists, promising dancers have also performed at the festival. BNSS wants to encourage young talents from every corner of the country."

The speeches were followed by dance performances. Artists of BAFA, Chhayanat Sangeetayan, Jago Art Centre, Nrityalok Sanskritik Kendra, Tridhara, Odissi and Tagore Dance Movement Centre (Chittagong) and others presented performances highlighting different styles and genres of dance. Besides troupes from Dhaka, five troupes from Chittagong, Sylhet, Dinajpur and Khulna performed at the closing ceremony. Some of the dance presentations were awe-inspiring while some were not up to the mark.

A Raga Basanti based performance by Odissi and Tagore Dance Movement Centre (Chittagong) and Jagaron, a Jago Art Centre presentation, were highly appreciated by the audience.

Other important aspect of the programme was the celebration of World Dance Day. The day was introduced in 1982 to commemorate the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre, whose contribution to dance was immense. This year's World Dance Day was dedicated to children.

The official message by Sasha Waltz, a German art director and choreographer, was read out at the programme. Urging the need of talents such as Anna Pavlova, Uday Shankar, Rukmini Devi, Sangjukta Panigrahi, Bulbul Chowdhury, G A Mannan and Gauhar Jamil, Dr. Shoma Mumtaz (assistant professor of Department of Drama and Dramatics of Jahangirnagar University), delivered a message on the occasion as well.