I was over the moon when I heard that the Hungarian Dance Festival in Győr would be happening this summer. I missed DANCE! Not only live dance shows but everything dance can mean: embraces, community, feeling free, having fun.

After last year's cancellation due to the pandemic, the 16th Hungarian Dance Festival will return in a different form. The main goal is to make the event safe and available to all. Therefore, a part of the programme is moved online and can be watched daily between 7 am and 10 pm local time (GMT +2). A charming baroque palace, called Apátúr House joins in, serving as a new venue for the screenings with Q&A, the 6th Children's Dance Festival and the accompanying programmes. During the weekend spectacular shows will come to life on the open-air stage at Széchenyi Square. This year the festival will be celebrating not only dance art but also its home, Győr, a beautiful gem in West Hungary, which became a city 750 years ago.

And now let's see what programmes are offered day by day both in the physical and virtual space.

On 14th June the MMA Conference will present the works of the Hungarian Academy of Arts’ scholars, which will be followed by the opening ceremony of the exhibition called Dance Pictures. In the evening we can watch the screening of Firebirds by Hungarian National Ballet. The piece, with women taking centre stage, was choreographed by Marianna Venekei to Igor Stravinsky's music. Meanwhile, Bleeding Creek by Inversedance-Zoltan Fodor Company, focusing on the eternal question of sin and punishment, can be seen online.

On Tuesday, 15th June the 6th Children's Dance Festival will kick off with fun dance performances for the young audience. The mini-festival will be opened by the hosting Ballet Company of Győr's show, Maszkabál (Fancy Dress Ball), created to the music of Vilmos Gryllus. The screening with Q&A will present Compagnie Pal Frenak and their latest creation called Spid_er which, inspired by the fascinating world of spiders, examines how humanity also creates its web. On the virtual stage, Gangaray Dance Company’s piece Agora evokes the sacred communal place of the ancient Greeks.  

On 16th June the Children's Dance Festival continues with The Symptoms’ interactive performance, Nookville - Act Out a Fairytale with Us at the Apátúr House and with Ballet Pécs’ Little Red Riding Hood online. Ballet Pécs, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary, will be in the limelight in the evening screening too with the forever classic Romeo and Juliet. The virtual space will host the Central Europe Dance Theatre’s Set Your Mind Free, created by the renowned choreographer, Anton Lachky.

On 17th June the Children's Dance Festival will close with The Carnival of the Animals, an immersive performance by Noémi Kulcsár Tellabor, while on the online stage the Nagyvárad Dance Ensemble's show, VANmeSE will entertain the young (and playful grown-up) audience. On the same day, two celebrating companies are included in the programme. Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, founded 70 years ago, will present Transcarpathia Invoked at the screening with Q&A, whilst Budapest Dance Theatre, celebrating its 30th anniversary, will soar into the virtual space with their show See You in The Air!

On Friday, 18th June the event of Győr's sister cities will take place at the Apátúr House, which will be followed by the long-awaited opening of GisL, a brand new version of Giselle by Félix Lajkó and Ballet Company of Győr at Széchenyi Square. On the online stage, Székesfehérvár Ballet Theatre will present their piece called Phantom Pain which was created for the Treaty of Trianon’s centennial.

Félix Lajkó-Ballet Company of Győr: GisL Photo by László Ambrus

On Saturday, 19th June we can attend the screening of the Recirquel Company’s Non Solus which was described as “ballet in the air” by The New York Times. In the online programme, Yvette Bozsik Company's Holiday, a personal piece composed of dreams and memories, can be watched. At Széchenyi Square the Hungarian amateur folk dance movement will give a spectacular gala, titled Dances of the Carpathian Basin, in honour of the 750-year-old city, Győr. The special event is directed by the festival's patron, Novák Ferenc “Tata” who celebrated his 90th birthday earlier this year.

On the last day of the festival, 20th June, Szeged Contemporary Dance Company will take over the online space with Credo, a family drama set on four timelines, choreographed by Tamás Juronics. Győr 750, a monumental gala evening will be the festival's finale performed by Ballet Company of Győr, Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, Duna Art Ensemble, Maros Art Ensemble and Hungarian National Dance Ensemble at Széchenyi Square.

Hungarian State Folk Ensemble: Transcarpathia Invoked Photo by Gábor Dusa 

Let's get out that diary or smartphone and put the dates in. To browse the programme or purchase tickets click here: Magyar Táncfesztivál – Győri Balett (gyoribalett.hu)

I really look forward to attending the festival, partly because of the rich programme, and partly because I can’t wait to feel that we have taken a (dance) step forward to normal life!