Three entities merged into two, and eventually consolidated into one: ASD, mediathektanz.ch, STS, CSD/STA evolved into SAPA. The SAPA Foundation, known as the Swiss Archive of the Performing Arts (Schweizer Archiv der Darstellenden Künste/Collection Suisse de la danse), emerged in 2017 through the fusion of the Swiss Dance Archive/Collection Suisse de la danse and the Swiss Theatre Collection. This foundation can trace its roots back to a longstanding tradition of collecting.

The Swiss Theatre Collection originated from the Swiss Society for Theatre Culture (SGTK), established in 1927. Its primary objective was not only to accumulate national and international theatre literature but also to gather visual materials and theatre building models. These artifacts were later made accessible to the public in a museum. While current goals may differ, remnants of this earlier collecting activity persist.

In 1993, Jean Pierre Pastori, a dance researcher and journalist, took the initiative in Lausanne to preserve the rich choreographic tradition around Lake Geneva. The iconic costume of Flore Revalles, the star of the Ballets Russes, swiftly became a highlight of the Archives Suisse de la danse.

Wolfgang Brunner in Zurich demonstrated a keen awareness that times and collections evolve. In collaboration with Eva Richterich, he founded mediathek tanz.ch in 2005 for the enduring archival of audiovisual recordings of dance productions.

Recognizing the benefits of a collaboration between East and West, the foundation stone for the Swiss Dance Archive/Collection Suisse de la Danse was laid in 2011.

The example caught on – with the merger of STA and STS, a new entity was created. Thanks to the different collection profiles of the predecessor institutions, the archive holdings complement each other, encompassing the performing arts from all of Switzerland and across all disciplines. SAPA has been diverse and multilingual since 2017