PREMIER: 9-10 October 2026 @ Trafó House of Contemporary Arts

Created through the collaboration of seven dancers and four musicians, the performance approaches the traditions of Hungarian folk dance and folk music from a contemporary perspective. Inherited movements, melodies, and collective memories are reimagined and infused with new meanings as the piece explores how cultural heritage can remain a living, personal, and ever-evolving experience today.

The performance celebrates the joy of collective movement, live music, meaningful encounters, and time spent together, playfully connecting tradition with contemporary experiences.

Hungarian folk dance is a living cultural heritage: knowledge that lives on in collective memory, in the body, and in movement. Drawing on this rich tradition, the performance explores how folk dance and contemporary movement can intersect, and how together they can open up new perspectives on the relationship between past and present. Here, contemporary dance is not a counterpoint to tradition, but rather an extension of it: an opportunity to imbue our shared movements with new meanings.

The Dance Theatre of Central Europe is a dance company with a long history; its performances speak to audiences through the diverse language of contemporary dance, showcasing the unique movement styles and thematic choices of the Pannonian Basin. 

Máté Mészáros is a dancer and choreographer who, throughout his career, has worked with companies such as Carte Blanche and Ultima Vez. His works have been presented at numerous major domestic and international festivals, and he plays an active role in the international contemporary dance scene both as a creator and an educator.

Áron Porteleki is a musician and composer whose work spans the boundaries of folk music, free improvisation, contemporary electronic music, and free jazz. His creative approach is defined by cross-genre experimentation, a musical mindset built on the moment, and collaborations with contemporary dance and other performative genres.

Choreography: Máté Mészáros
Composer: Áron Porteleki
Creators/performers: Vera Bundschuh, Edmond Kisbakonyi, Noémi Gizella Nagy, Balázs Oláh, Attila Steer, Zsófia Szász, Viktória Tran
Musicians: Sándor Csoóri, Áron Horváth, Gergő Kováts, Áron Porteleki
Lighting Design: József Pető
Costumes: Júlia Rabi

Production management: SÍN Arts Centre

Supported by the National Cultural Fund of Hungary, the Hungarian Academy of Arts, and the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, Municipality of Budapest