Making dance heritage more visible
A lot of Europe’s dance history is hard to find, scattered across small, personal archives – or already lost. DanceMap aims to bring this knowledge together in one place, making it easier to understand what exists, what’s missing, and how we can protect it for the future.
Recognising shared values
Dance is a powerful way of expressing values such as cultural pluralism, shared experience and belonging. By highlighting underrepresented or marginalised voices and bodies, DanceMap aims to broaden how we understand our cultural history.
Improving digital access
Even where dance materials exist, they’re often not well connected or easy to search. DanceMap works on new digital solutions to help describe, link and share dance archives and collections across platforms – especially for complex, embodied practices.
Supporting creative use of heritage
Artists and cultural institutions often don’t have the tools or time to work with archival material. DanceMap helps make documentation part of everyday creative practice, so that heritage is not just preserved – but kept alive in performance and education.
Reaching wider audiences
There are very few cultural spaces dedicated to dance heritage. DanceMap works to make it more accessible – through exhibitions, performances and digital tools – so that more people can discover, engage with, and be inspired by it.
Influencing policy and funding
Dance is still undervalued in cultural policy. DanceMap provides tools and research that help policymakers and funders understand its importance, and support stronger, more sustainable ways to protect and promote Europe’s dance heritage.