Modeling Metadata for Folkloric Dance:

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Abstract

Modeling metadata for performing arts is notoriously complex, especially when it comes to folk dance—a deeply embodied and community-based form of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). This paper explores the challenges of representing folk dance within digital metadata frameworks, proposing a model for a socially networked, user-driven repository. Drawing from my own experience with a flamenco dance collective and referencing models like Europeana’s ECLAP, FRBRoo, and CIDOC-CRM, I outline a web-based portal that would allow dancers, educators, and researchers to upload, describe, and explore folk dance materials through rich, culturally appropriate metadata. Special attention is given to community defined local vocabularies, a network database structure, and pedagogical practices that emerged during remote learning. This paper argues that preservation frameworks must center the communities they seek to represent, treating metadata not only as a technical tool but as a participatory, cultural act. The proposed model aims to bridge institutional needs with grassroots knowledge production in the ongoing effort to safeguard intangible cultural heritage.