The Artform of Dance: Europe’s Progressive Embodied Cultural Practice
EDN’s Position Paper, submitted to the Culture Compass Consultation 2025, outlines the European Dance Development Network’s long-term priorities for Europe’s cultural and creative sectors.
Rooted in the belief that contemporary choreographic arts are vital to Europe’s social, democratic, and cultural life, the paper calls for policy reforms that recognise and support the transformative value of dance and strengthen cultural ecosystems across the continent.
Through this submission to the Culture Compass process, EDN advocates for more equitable funding, inclusive cultural participation, improved working conditions, and structural support for dance as an interconnected and democratic cultural practice.
*Co-funded by the European Union in the frame of the Creative Europe network project 101184100 ET
Advocating For Dance
In 2025, EDN hosted a webinar series to share experiences and strategies for integrating dance with public policy-making.
Dance artists, cultural professionals and other experts shared insights on advocacy, funding, and creative ideas to recognise and support the transformative impact of dance on our societies.
This publication transforms EDN’s 2025 webinar series into an inspiring, hands-on toolkit for dance advocacy. It shares fresh ways to bridge artistic practice and policy action: from framing and storytelling to using data to make dance visible and valued.
Inside, readers will find ideas for building alliances, nurturing collective care, and transforming embodied knowledge into systemic impact.
Whether you’re an artist, organiser, or policymaker, it’s a resource to spark action and empower you to speak about dance with clarity, confidence, and imagination.
*Co-funded by the European Union in the frame of the Creative Europe network project 101184100 ET