Why an archive?
Each edition of the Nederlandse Dansdagen festival constitutes a current state of Dutch dance of the year in question. This means that each edition presents a cross-section of Dutch dance over time. Every year, leading performances are featured, the most impressive productions and performances win a Zwaan and the State of Dutch Dance is pronounced. There are also book presentations, exhibitions, experiments and various debates around urgent themes.
ND Archive is an online heritage project to collect and preserve the Nederlandse Dansdagen. Recording the festival's output in an ND Archive creates a valuable picture of dance history in the Netherlands that cannot be found anywhere else. Over the years, we see a canon emerging that is a valuable source of information for scholars, students, journalists and the field itself. After all, there is no innovation without knowing the past well.
ND aims to create a public, interactive environment from which makers, students, scholars, journalists, dancers and choreographers can use as a source of information and inspiration for their work processes and to conduct research for new work. At the same time, such a database is of interest to the mainstream audience of dance enthusiasts and other interested parties. For them, the ND Archive provides context about contemporary Dutch dance and a window into its rich past.
connecting with our heritage
Moreover, the annual festival program says something not only about the state of Dutch dance, but also about the changing socio-cultural dynamics in the Netherlands. The programs provide insight into our collective cultural identity and shifting socio-political values.