The image of dance in the media significantly shapes our view of artistic dance and dance culture. Dachverband Tanz Deutschland is developing initial research on the presence of dance in the classical media as well as in social networks.

The experiences of dance critics - with the art of dance and with writing about dance - are discussed within Dachverband Tanz Deutschland and reflected while developing new projects to promote dance. Besides the organisation supports initiatives to strengthen dance criticism.

"A higher status and more extensive, qualified reporting in print and electronic media are overdue in view of the high relevance of dance as a cultural asset. Dance as a specific art form must be reflected in its aesthetic and political dimensions in public. Here, the commitment of print and digital media as well as radio and TV is indispensable. The prerequisite is a qualified dance journalistic education as well as the willingness to assume journalistic responsibility for the dissemination and communication of dance."

(10 Maxims for action for dance, 2006)

Culture and dance journalism is increasingly shifting to the web. Portals such as www.nachtkritik.de or www.tanznetz.de and bloggers are taking over classic journalistic tasks for subject areas for which there is less and less space in print media. Unfortunately, this also applies to the field and coverege of dance. The German Dance Association supports initiatives that strengthen dance journalism and dance criticism, both analog and digital.

These initatives include:

TANZMedia e.V. "Rousing dance journalism is a masterstroke. Dance journalism is a thinking of movement. In the German-speaking world, it has been cultivated and appreciated for a century. But what does its future look like? The basic requirements of quality journalism in image, sound and word include professional knowledge and a lot of experience. Dance journalists must travel, research, reflect."

www.tanzschreiber.de The Dan­ce Review Portal – Current Critiques of Berlin Dance Events

We also point to websites that write or provide information about dance in an interesting way:

www.tanznetz.de (German-language website about professional dance and dance institutions / selected reviews availlable in English)

www.tanzweb.org (Online Portal about dance reviews and dance cinema in the region North Rhine-Westphalia / only in German)