Between April 13 and October 13 2025, the World Expo is taking place in Osaka, Japan, with the participation of 161 countries and nine international organizations. It is a great honour that János Kiss, Kossuth Prize-winning ballet artist and Chairman of the Board of Trustees maintaining Hungarian Dance University (HDU), along with HDU’s manager Asuka Horio, had the opportunity to represent Hungarian dance and ballet art, as well as Hungarian Dance University at EXPO2025 in the last days of June. They presented the university’s programmes and its increasingly well-known international ballet competition, the Budapest Ballet Grand Prix.
Credit: 2025 Hungary Balázs Mudrák
The organizers are expecting over 28 million visitors to the World Expo, primarily from the East Asian region, which includes Japan, South Korea, and China. As this region represents the world’s largest outbound tourism market, successful Hungarian participation could significantly increase inbound tourism from this area.
EXPO2025 Hungary Nonprofit Ltd. has previously emphasized that, beyond tourism, Hungary’s presence at the Expo could also significantly strengthen cultural and business relations. Hungary is one of Japan’s key economic partners in Central Europe, and last year, the majority of investments from the East Asian region to Hungary originated there. In addition to building the country’s image, the Hungarian Pavilion also aims to create opportunities for many Hungarian businesses to develop partnerships and expand their business networks.
Asian presence in the field of dance is also remarkably strong and of exceptionally high quality, with professional institutions that are outstanding even by global standards. This makes János Kiss’s visit all the more significant and joyful, as he performed and held a workshop at the World Expo alongside director László Velkei and the Győr Ballet Company.
János Kiss said the following about his five-day stay:
“I travelled with the Győr Ballet Company and was given the opportunity by the leadership of the Hungarian House to give a presentation about the training programmes of Hungarian Dance University and our successful Budapest Ballet Grand Prix competition. The organizers invited the directors of 15 Japanese schools and several children to the event. It was a great joy to see that the room was so full of interested attendees that some had to stand in the hallway, and the presentation was received with great warmth. The next day, the Győr Ballet Company performed the outstanding piece Romance, set to the music of Zoltán Kodály, which was also met with great success.”
He also added:
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Asuka Horio for her support! As a former dancer of the Győr Ballet Company, and a member of the university’s management, she has helped us tremendously. She interpreted in Japanese and gave an excellent presentation in her native language, which was a great success!”
The Hungarian Dance University is very popular in Asia, with more than half of its international students coming from Japan. This, along with the success of the performances, clearly shows how much people there appreciate Hungarian dance education.
By building cultural relations and supporting young talents, Hungary and Japan are creating lasting value for the arts and for future generations.
