DanceMENU (TantsuMENÜÜ under Estonian Dance Agency) is Estonian dance touring programme for rural communities. The purpose of DanceMENU is to bring dance to a new audience outside of the usual dance stages. 

Supported by: Ministry of Culture, Estonian Cultural Capital, Pakenditööstus

The SPARSE (Supporting and Promoting Arts in Rural Settlements in Europe, in Estonia TantsuMENÜÜ) network has undergone an exciting development in recent months, with which we want to achieve the goals of SPARSE, funded by the European Union's Creative Europe program, i.e. to create a permanently functioning performing arts touring network in rural areas of Europe. The first eight partners and associate partners who have been working together through SPARSE for the past four years have understood the importance of raising and promoting a pan-European profile and have involved new partners in their activities.

The goals of SPARSE and DanceMENU are:

• expand the presence of rural tourism networks in partner countries,
• develop and share good operating practices with each other,
• increase the knowledge of (dance) artists and colleagues in the cultural sector about tours in rural areas,
• find resources to support the performance activities of rural areas,
• advocate for access to quality professional performing arts in rural areas.

Estonian Dance Agency has been selected for the second time among the recipients of the Perform Europe grant.

Perform Europe has selected 42 innovative performing arts projects for 2024-2025, involving 196 partner organizations across Europe. As part of the "Bringing Family Theater to Villages Across Europe" project of the Estonian Dance Agency and Italy, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, productions from Lithuania, Poland and Germany will go on tour in small venues across rural communities. ETA is the leading partner of the project. In the spring of 2025, the German dance production "Chiffonade" will be performed at TantsuMENÜÜ (DanceMENU) with the support of Perform Europe.

Perform Europe is a program funded by Creative Europe, which aims to support and develop the field of performing arts in Europe. The program focuses primarily on organizing tours, trying to make them more environmentally sustainable, inclusive and diverse, and within this framework events take place in all Creative Europe member states.

The Estonian Dance Agency was also among the recipients of Perform Europe's support in 2021, when the Moroccan-French open-air dance production "Routine" came to the audience in Elva and Rakvere.

Perform Europe is implemented by a consortium of six organisations: IETM – International network for contemporary performing arts, European Festivals Association (EFA), Circostrada, European Dance Development Network, Pearle * – Live Performance Europe and IDEA Consult.

Read more about the project "Bringing Family Theater to Villages Across Europe" HERE.

Read more about Perform Europe HERE.