35th Dance Festival brings together more than 2,700 dancers in Volta Redonda Photos by Cris Oliveira - Secom/PMVR. The City of Volta Redonda (RJ) held the opening of the 35th Dance Festival this Thursday (9). The event continues until Sunday (12), in the area under the Raul de Leoni Municipal Library, in Vila Santa Cecília. Over the four days of the festival, 269 choreographies will be presented by representatives of 98 institutions from Volta Redonda and cities in Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, such as Barra Mansa, Resende, Quatis, Porto Real, Pinheiral, Vassouras, Angra dos Reis, Paraty, Barra do Piraí, Rio de Janeiro and Itajubá (MG). Among the participants are 560 dancers from the social programs of the Municipal Department of Sport and Leisure (Smel), 'Viva o Esporte', dedicated to children and teenagers aged 3 to 17, and the 'Viva Melhor' project, aimed at seniors. The groups represent several neighborhoods in Volta Redonda and another 30 social projects in the region. Videos trending on g1 ?Click here and join the g1 channel on WhatsApp According to the municipal secretary of Sports and Leisure, Rose Vilela, the festival is part of the celebrations for Volta Redonda's anniversary and seeks to encourage inclusion, culture and social transformation through dance. Testimonials from Festival participants Among the participants is student Pietra Pereira, 14 years old, a ballet student at Arena Esportiva do Voldac. This is the third time she has participated in the festival. "I love it. I've been doing ballet since I was 1 year old. For me it's a very good feeling to be on stage. The stage feels like it's my home and there I unload all my problems. Our choreographies are very good", he said. Student Anne Moreira, 15 years old, a student at Apae in Volta Redonda, participates in the event for the second time. "It's the second year that I've participated. I'm very happy to participate, I really like dancing," he said. Silvia de Fátima Vieira, 57 years old, a participant in the activities of the Social Assistance Reference Center (Cras) in the Siderlândia neighborhood, highlighted the benefits of dancing. "When I'm on stage I feel good, I feel free, happy. Dancing awakens the artist inside me", he said. 35th Dance Festival brings together more than 2,700 dancers in Volta Redonda Photos by Cris Oliveira - Secom/PMVR. Programming On Friday (10), from 4pm, presentation with groups from public schools and social projects in the children, youth and adult categories. On Saturday (11), the presentations start at 5pm, with private schools, clubs and academies in the youth and adult categories. The festival will close on Sunday (12), at 3pm, with performances from private schools, clubs and academies in the children's category. 35th Dance Festival brings together more than 2,700 dancers in Volta Redonda Cris Oliveira - Secom/PMVR. VIDEOS: the news that aired on TV Rio Sul