Dance as an art form is becoming more popular and gaining greater acceptance. It is now the subject of practical and theoretical courses at university level. The one thing missing is access to the multimedia documents which make research and teaching possible in the first place – even though digital developments have long opened up new opportunities for people to avail themselves of information.
Against this backdrop, Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), the University of Bern, and the media library at tanz.ch wanted – through the 'Streaming Dance' project – to ensure those working in the discipline of dance could use audiovisual media in digital format and archive it on a long-term basis. This in turn provides indispensable foundations for some of the work done in the arts and sciences. Practical implementation of the comprehensive concept (as regards usage, research and archiving) is something unique in Europe, as far as dance-related documentation is concerned, and can serve as a model for other artistic disciplines.