Dance Forum 2009

This annual festival, organized by National Dance Theatre, pays tribute to the art of dance in every April honouring International Dance Day. It introduces new Hungarian productions of the spring season, hosts outstanding foreign companies and includes a ceremony awarding the best artists in Hungarian dance of the past year.

DANCE FORUM
IN HONOUR OF INTERNATIONAL DANCE DAY
APRIL 16-30, 2009

This annual festival, organized by National Dance Theatre, pays tribute to the art of dance in every April honouring International Dance Day. It introduces new Hungarian productions of the spring season, hosts outstanding foreign companies and includes a ceremony awarding the best artists in Hungarian dance of the past year.

Greeting

Dear Audience,

This is the ninth time we celebrateInternational Dance Day by organising our festival. The speciality of the event is that it involves performances only from professional dance ensembles. The guests of honour at this year’s Dance Forum are Cullberg Ballet from Sweden, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan and Lado - the Croatian National Folk Dance Ensemble. We have invited these internationally renowned ensembles in part so that dance-loving Hungarian audiences may get to know their works, and in part to facilitate their meeting with Hungarian dance artists.
A number of Hungarian performance are also scheduled for the festival. Gustavo Ramirez Sansano is preparing a new choreography for Budapest Dance Theatre. His full-length show titled Gaudí is once again presented by the Ballet Company of Győr. Duna Art Ensemble is preparing for a major premiere titled For Ever and Ever. Bertalan Vári’s work under the title A game? will be on in the Refectory, and there will also be a show for children: Madách Musical Dance School will present Gulliver in Lilliput. Tamás Juronics’ The Miraculous Mandarin will be performed by a new cast. The closing act of the Festival will be a premiere of the Hungarian Ballet Theatre of Gödöllő.
The Association of Hungarian Dancers invited Gábor Goda and Zsolt Juhász to direct the gala performance on World Dance Day. The event will double as an award ceremony: the Association of Hungarian Dancers will hand out its “Best Male and Female Dancers of the Season", “Best Creator of the Season" and “Best Finalist Student of the Season" as well as the “Life Achievement" and the “For the Art of Dance" professional awards.

We hope you will find a programme to your liking in our selection.

We are looking forward to welcoming you at our Festival.

NATIONAL DANCE THEATRE - MAIN AUDITORIUM

16. Thursday, 7.00 P.M. GUEST PERFORMANCE
From the Pannonian to the Adriatic Sea
Concert of Folk Songs and Dances of Croatia
LADO - National Folk Dance Ensemble of Croatia

18. Saturday, 7.00 P.M.
Dance Master
Honvéd Dance Theatre

20. Monday, 7.00 P.M.
Twins
Compagnie Pál Frenák

22. Wednesday, 7.00 P.M. PREMIERE
FLABBERGAST (by Gustavo Ramirez Sansano)
Budapest Dance Theatre

23. Thursday, 7.00 P.M.
Measure for Measure - ReneDance in two acts
ExperiDance - Sándor Román Company

24. Friday, 10.30 A.M.
Row-de-Dow (for children)
Honvéd Dance Theatre

25. Saturday, 7.00 P.M.
Mezőség - Living Martin Archiv V.
Honvéd Dance Theatre
/dance workshop follows the performance/

26. Sunday, 10.30 A.M.
Sleeping Beauty (for children)
Honvéd Dance Theatre

26. Sunday, 7.00 P.M.
La Traviata
Compagnie Yvette Bozsik

28. Tuesday, 6.00 P.M. PREMIERE
29. Wednesday, 10.30 A.M. and 3.00 P.M.
GULLIVER (for children)
KFKI Chamber Ballet

30. Thursday, 7.00 P.M. PREMIERE
GRAFFITI
Hungarian Ballet Theatre Gödöllő

NATIONAL DANCE THEATRE - REFEKTORIUM

21. Tuesday, 7.30 P.M. PREMIERE
GAME?
Bertalan Vári

PALACE OF ARTS - FESTIVAL THEATRE

17. Friday, 18. Saturday, 7.00 P.M. GUEST PERFORMANCE
Empty House / Negro con Flores / Walking Mad
Cullberg Ballet

19. Sunday, 7.00 P.M.
Sun Legend
Hungarian State Folk Ensemble

20. Monday, 7.00 P.M.
Gala Evening of the Hungarian Dance Academy

21. Tuesday, 7.00 P.M.
The Miraculous Mandarin / A Soldier’s Tale
Szeged Contemporary Dance Company

23. Thursday, 7.00 P.M. PREMIERE
FOREVER AND EVER
Duna Art Ensemble

24. Friday, 7.00 P.M.
Gaudí (by Gustavo Ramirez Sansano)
Ballet Company of Győr

27. Monday, 28. Tuesday, 7.00 P.M. GUEST PERFORMANCE
Moon Water
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan

29. Wednesday, 7.00 P.M.
Gala Evening of the Hungarian Dancers Association
(prize giving ceremony)

The program is subject to change