Sarah Whately and Karen Ross of Coventry University will give the profile of Britain's champion of contemporary dance a long overdue boost. With the help of a £417,000 grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, they will create an online archive of the works of the Siobhan Davies Dance Company.
Dr Whately is head of Coventry's performing arts department and her colleague is professor of contem-porary dance.
Dr Whately said: "Siobhan Davies has been working since the beginning of contemporary dance in Britain. Her work is mirrored by and runs alongside the development of contemporary dance."
They will start work on the 30-month project in January. The focus will be on the company's work since its creation in 1988, but the site will be a living archive and material will be added as the company produces new work.
"There's a lot of stuff out there, but it's under people's beds and in their cupboards. Bringing it together is exciting," Dr Whately said.
The idea came when Dr Whately found it hard to get hold of the company's work for a talk. A 29-page bid secured the grant.
"It was a really good idea - that was what the AHRC was keen to see. It has exciting implications for wider research," Dr Whately said. "Dance is ephemeral, so it disappears quickly. This will preserve the work and increase its visibility."
Professor Ross said the site would be a fully researchable resource that anyone would be able to access from anywhere.