Our dance for Europe

A project of the Brussels Office of Europanetzwerk Deutsch

Did you know that 9 May is a European holiday? What is celebrated and remembered on this day? The birthday of an important person or some revolution? No, none of those things. 9 May marks the cornerstone of a structure that today affects over 500 million people - the European Union. 

On 9 May 1950 Robert Schuman, then French Foreign Minister, proclaimed his idea of a united Europe - after two devastating world wars, freedom, security and stability were now to be guaranteed by forging a community consisting of Germany, France, Italy and the Benelux countries. These words bore fruit in 1952 in the form of the European Coal and Steel Community, and then in 1957 in the form of the Rome Treaties.

However, this first milestone in the history of Europe deserves more attention than it is currently receiving. Especially now, in times of unrest and uncertainty, a debate about the EU is essential - and young people in particular must be involved in this debate. With the project Our Dance for Europe we, the Brussels Office of Europanetzwerk Deutsch, want to achieve exactly this. 

What links Stockholm and Lisbon? Nicosia, Barcelona and Helsinki? Poprad and Dolno Drianovo? 

28 Member States, 28 schools and 28 dances - With 28 members at the time, the EU is a colourful collection of cultures and traditions. They are all the cornerstone of European culture. In each EU member state, one school presents a piece of its own national culture in the form of a traditional dance. The result, a colourful cross-section of the EU's cultural diversity, can be seen here.
The project "Our Dance for Europe" reaches beyond national and cultural borders and aims to stimulate a debate about the EU, its course and culture as a whole by examining national culture.

The Brussels Office of Europanetzwerk Deutsch would like to thank all schools that participated!