Dance in the media mirror. Between culture, business and viral fame

illustration: DALL-E

Dance in Poland is undergoing a media transformation. Once seen mainly as a niche art form, today it is a dynamic content driver-bridging culture, sport, entertainment, and branding. The recent report "Dance Presence and Perception in Polish Media" by Instytut Monitorowania Mediów (IMM), prepared for the National Institute of Music and Dance (NIMiT), captures this shift in numbers and narratives. Over 78,000 media publications and 197,000 social media posts within a year clearly show: dance has moved into the mainstream.

Three faces of dance, one expanding footprint

The IMM report confirms what practitioners already sense-dance resists categorization, and that works in its favor. It performs simultaneously in multiple media roles, attracting a wide range of outlets. General news portals alone accounted for 71% of all dance-related coverage, confirming dance"s ability to cut through thematic silos.


According to the study, three main narratives dominate media portrayals of dance:

• As artistic expression, it channels emotion and tells stories-earning space in cultural and opinion sections.
• As sport, it reflects discipline and competition-particularly when linked to televised dance-offs or Olympic breaking.
• As entertainment, it appeals through energy and accessibility-visible in talent shows and viral clips.

This multiplicity allows media editors to place dance across formats, from interviews to sports highlights. Its hybrid nature increases editorial flexibility, audience appeal and, crucially, brand interest.

Ave numbers reveal unexpected rankings

Between March 2024 and February 2025, dance generated a media reach of 1.6 billion potential contacts-meaning the average Pole above age 15 was exposed to dance-related content approximately 50 times. But the more surprising figure lies in the advertising value equivalency (AVE).

Dance reached an AVE of PLN 746.8 million, placing it near disciplines like speedway (PLN 768.8 million) and well ahead of MMA (PLN 636.3 million) or handball (PLN 505.5 million). This positioning challenges old hierarchies between "serious" sport and "soft" culture.

• Football – PLN 9,050 million AVE
• Tennis – PLN 3,496 million AVE
• Swimming – PLN 3,238 million AVE
• Volleyball – PLN 2,235 million AVE
• ...
• Dance - PLN 746.8 million AVE
• Speedway - PLN 768.8 million AVE
• MMA - PLN 636.3 million AVE
• Handball - PLN 505.5 million AVE
• Chess - PLN 447.3 million AVE

This data, published in the "Dance Presence and Perception in Polish Media" report, underscores the commercial potential dance now commands.

Between high reach and significant AVE, brands see a well-lit stage. Sebastian Tomaszewski, IMM analyst and co-author of the report, notes: "Dance conveys community, emotion, and energy. These values resonate across industries-from fashion and fitness to lifestyle and beauty."

Sponsorship rethought: emotion meets data

The cultural sector often struggles to speak the language of business. But dance offers a promising bridge. According to the report, dance in Poland holds a projected sponsorship potential of around PLN 1 billion. Behind this estimate lies not just popularity, but brand compatibility.

Marketers value dance for the same reasons audiences do: its energy, visual richness and emotional pull. Importantly, it allows for socially conscious campaigns. Supporting dance supports health, inclusion, youth development, and education-all key pillars of CSR.

Dr. Maria Opałka, lead author of Dance in Poland 2025, sees this as a turning point: "Business and art speak different languages-value versus values. But with dance, we observe a new dialogue forming. It`s emotional, measurable, and sustainable."

This shift encourages cultural institutions to reframe their strategies-not by abandoning identity, but by articulating relevance in data terms: reach, engagement, impact.

Dance goes viral. And visual

Dance"s strongest momentum may lie not in broadcast media, but in its digital life. In the same 12-month period, social media featured nearly 200,000 dance-related posts. Their reach? Over 931 million. And their AVE? A solid PLN 62.3 million.

While Facebook dominated in content volume, Instagram led in user engagement:

Platform	Share of Interactions
Instagram	73.8%
Facebook	~20%
TikTok	~5%

This insight comes from IMM"s deep dive into the 996 most engaging posts by cultural institutions. Despite fewer posts, Instagram generated almost three-quarters of all interactions. Its image-driven, aesthetic-friendly environment turns every dancer into a micro-influencer-and every choreography into a potential campaign.

TikTok, on the other hand, led the conversation in entertainment-related dance. It captured 40% of dialogue in this segment, particularly thanks to viral street dance clips and performance snippets from shows.


YouTube remained consistent, holding a 10-20% share across most categories. Its longer format gives room for full-length performances and backstage storytelling.

Two styles in the spotlight

Not all dance genres perform equally. Within the social and media buzz, two styles dominated in terms of both exposure and AVE:

• Ballroom dance: 21,400 mentions, AVE of PLN 3.64 million. Driven by celebrity programs and TV competitions.
• Street dance: 5,700 mentions, AVE of PLN 648,000. Spiked around the Olympic debut of breaking.

This data confirms what social feeds already hint at: the public doesn"t just watch dance-they follow it, engage with it, and share it. The dance floor has expanded far beyond theatres, reaching smartphones and ad budgets alike.

The study was conducted by Instytut Monitorowania Mediów S.A. on behalf of the National Institute of Music and Dance. It was funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The full report is available at: https://www.kongrestanca.pl/taniec-media-sponsoring