Safeguarding our Dance Cultural Heritage

Abstract

Folk dancing is a key aspect of intangible cultural heritage that often reflects the socio-cultural and political influences prevailing in different periods and nations; each dance produces a meaning, a story with the help of music, costumes and dance moves. It has been transmitted from generation to generation, and to different countries, mainly due to movements of people carrying and disseminating their civilization. However, folk dancing, amongst other intangible heritage, is at high risk of disappearing due to wars, the moving of populations, economic crises, modernization, but most importantly, because these fragile creations have been modified over time through the process of collective recreation, and/or changes in the way of life. In this tutorial, we show how the European Project, SCHEDAR, exploited emerging technologies to digitize, analyze, and holistically document our intangible heritage creations, that is a critical necessity for the preservation and the continuity of our identity as Europeans.