Declaration in favor of Basque Dance

Traditional Basque dance is a rich heritage to be protected, a versatile non-verbal form of communication, an source of pleasure, a powerful tool of socialization, and an important symbol of identity. It is our shared responsibility to protect and promote this rich cultural activity, deepen its knowledge and learning, and ensure its transmission.
 
The efforts of preservation and dissemination of culture protects the traditional choreographic heritage of a people, they transmit aesthetic and cultural values, and they encourage intercultural dialogue.  Cities, towns and neighborhoods are organized and energized culturally and socially by these efforts, all the while providing attractive draws for tourism that contributes to economic activity.

Dancers, dance enthusiasts, researchers, musicians, artisans, media-everyone, individually or in a community, we have the responsibility to:

1. Recognize traditional Basque dance as a cultural heritage, and share responsibility for its protection with dancers and dance enthusiasts, institutions, media and society as a whole.

2. Value and acknowledge the work done by groups, associations and individuals in the study, research, transmission, dissemination, preservation, protection and dissemination of music, song and traditional dance, and promote cultural policies helping in that endeavor.

3. Take measures to ensure knowledge transfer and preservation of traditional dance. The priorities include:

a. A public center for documentation of dance, choreography, to reflect the heritage disappearing day by day, and thereby offering the possibility of connecting with the next generation.

b. Build and strengthen training in traditional dance by developing a center that offers the opportunity to train and deepen traditional Basque dance studies.

c. Continuing research in traditional dance, and rebuild a network of researchers with the active participation of associations, organizations and universities involved in research dynamics.

Dance plays a significant role as image and symbol in the daily life of Basque culture. We contribute to all its recognition and defense.

------------------------------------
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights declares in the 1st point of paragraph 27: "Everyone has the right to participate freely in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits and results."  UNESCO, in its 32nd Convention (October 2003) called for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage as a mainspring of cultural diversity and the guarantee of sustainable development.