The City of the Arts opened its doors to welcome representatives from more than ten countries at the Annual Meeting of the Ibero-American Dance Platform (FIP), an area of exchange and cooperation that aims to strengthen public policies and management of this sector in the region.

The event will run for five days and will cover issues related to artistic mobility, training and regional integration by creating joint alliances and strategies that will advance the development of Ibero-American dance.

The Secretary General Ivis Moreno, representing the Minister of Culture, stated that "this meeting has a clear aim: to strengthen management and partnerships for the development of dance in our region. We do so by strengthening institutional links, sharing knowledge and defining strategies for the mobility, training and development of public policies that respond to the realities of the sector."

Moreno added that dance, as an artistic and social expression, faces challenges common to all Ibero-American countries and so this assembly represents "a commitment to regional integration and closer collaboration between cultural, collective and industry actors and international institutions."

For his part, Gloria Barrios, director of the National Dance Company, expressed his pride to receive them at the City of the Arts, "a space that houses and promotes different artistic expressions of the country." Also, the National Director of the Arts, Gianni Bianchini, emphasized that in "The Ibero-American Year of Academic Arts, we have been able to get Panama to host four Ibero-American programs with the commitment to democratize art and culture and to project national talent beyond our boundaries."

At the same time, Katherine Bucktron from the National Directorate for Cultural Rights and Citizenship shared his experience as a dancer and cultural manager, highlighting his country's commitment to the development of dance through his National Plan for Culture (PNC) and promoting the interordination of his strategic plan with national goals.

The meeting includes face-to-face participation by delegations from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Uruguay, Venezuela and Panama and with representatives from Argentina, Spain, Mexico and Peru.