This study explores the possibilities and issues of NFT for dance records, setting preservation, exchange value, and the ethics of representation as its main agenda. The methods are literature analysis and case study. The discussion holds that NFT, as a non-fungible token, has the technical capacity to secure both authenticity preservation in dance documentation and commercial viability. In particular, from the standpoint of scarcity, NFT amplifies the aesthetic value of works and supports creators through rights protection and revenue sharing, indicating considerable industrial potential. However, sustained examination of the risks of legal disputes is required. In conclusion, NFT can provide an opportunity for an ecological transition of dance archives and has utilitarian value as a community token that advances the publicness and shareability of records. Therefore, even with ongoing technological developments such as AI, continued discourse on dance NFT is necessary.

This study explores how NFT (Non-Fungible Token) technology transforms the ontological conditions of dance as an intangible art form We employ a literature review as the research method, collecting data through NFT-related dance cases and existing studies. Theoretical frameworks, including Walter Benjamin’s concept of aura, Jean Baudrillard’s theory of simulacra, and Philip Auslander’s performance theory, are applied to analyze the changes in the concepts of liveness, authenticity, and ownership. The findings reveal that NFTs provide dance with digital uniqueness and technical authenticity, shifting the traditionally ephemeral and non-ownable nature of dance. Through the lens of “scarcity aesthetics,” NFTs introduce new possibilities for the aesthetics of dance, enabling the creation of digital ownership and authenticity. This study suggests that NFT technology can reconstruct the ontological conditions of dance, offering a novel perspective on the relationship between the intangible art form and digital technology in the contemporary era.

Expressions of literature or fine art create work that leaves a distinct record. By comparison, the performing arts never create work that remains afterward. Performance is a momentary art shown only in the present, and it is never affected by anything after the show. Performing arts are solely present at the time and place of a performance, making it practically impossible to preserve and store the work. In fact, maintaining and preserving the actions performed on scene has become an unresolved question in the world of performing arts. In order to maintain and preserve such moments, artificial interventions are essential, such as taking photographs or making videos. This paper aims to discuss some theoretical issues that should be taken into account in the process of documenting the performing arts. This paper will first discuss the authenticity of performance in terms of the object of documentation. Authenticity is a concept related to the identity of work. It will continue by examining Margolis’s theory of arts before exploring suitable media to record performances, such as records, body, memory and repertoire. Lastly, this paper will raise a question as to how to reflect aesthetic elements that need to be considered along with other factors in performance documentation. Ultimately, this paper suggests that performance documentation should begin to recognize the gap between performance and record. Such an approach should integrate ethnography and narrative.