As the opening event of the 75-day series celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Hungarian Dance University (HDU), a gala performance given by the university’s students was held on the evening of Thursday, April 10, at the National Dance Theatre. The traditional performance of the future stars of ballet, modern dance, theatrical dance, and folk dance on the stage of the National Dance Theatre was a great success.
The university’s Spring Gala Evening showcased a selection from the artistic training programme: news students just starting their studies and those who are about to graduate, award winners from competitions and performers who have already proven themselves on international stages followed one another in a high-quality programme.
Photos by Pál Csillag
During the evening, those took the stage who may still be “little stars” today — but they could be the stars of tomorrow.
The programme presented to the full house at the National Dance Theatre was diverse in style, reflecting the richness of the art form. Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, the Hungarian Dance University remains faithful to preserving and passing on the traditions of classical ballet, while uniquely offering professional training in four distinct disciplines, classical ballet, folk dance, modern dance, and theatrical dance, leading to a degree in dance performance.
The two-part performance featured a selection of works in various styles, chosen specifically to best showcase the students’ skills and talent to both professionals and the general audience.
The university’s masters have themselves experienced the magic of the stage, many of them remain active performers to this day, so they prepare their students for each performance with both empathy and a deep sense of responsibility. The students are well aware of how important their teachers’ opinions are, how essential parental support can be, and how even a single remark from an expert may have a lasting impact. Yet, in the end, it is the audience that has the final word with their applause, and this time, there was no shortage of that either.
In the nearly two-hour, two-act performance, the harmony of music and movement, the geometry of spatial formations, the unity of the groups, and the succession of beautiful motifs and stage elements, combined with visually striking and emotionally rich scenes, conveyed to the audience the essence of the production.
The students had been preparing for the performance all day, with rehearsals and stage work beginning in the morning. For the 9th-year students and graduates, it was the first opportunity to present their exam concert pieces on stage, while younger students and group performances were also featured.
The students’ dancing clearly reflected the care and love poured into every detail, rooted in humility and passion, which is what truly matters.
Márta Fodor-Molnár, university professor and Rector of the Hungarian Dance University, shared het thought about the performance:
“Such performances are important to give students the opportunity to gain stage routine and practice. Some people are not so good in rehearsal, but they can give their best under these conditions. Not everyone can do that, some people have to get used to dancing in front of an audience. It’s a very good exercise and it motivates them to perform in a show like this, which is a great boost to their studies. A small committee, members of the Arts Council, look at the students and select the most outstanding ones. Many more productions have been produced, but it is not wasted work either, because we give them two performances on the university stage. As the time frame is limited, everyone understood that.”
Éva Brieber, Head of the Classical Ballet Department, said that it is always a great pleasure for her to see young talents on stage.
“This year was a bit unusual for the Stars of the Future Gala, which is traditionally the awards gala of our school competition. This time, due to university construction, we didn’t have the school competition, but we did have a selection ceremony. All the year groups prepared songs, and we selected the performers for the Gala. Therefore the audience could see less variations and possibly more group numbers. Some of the seniors got contracts for very good places. The experience nowadays is that it takes 2-3 years to decide where a student will end up and which company will be the right one for them. Learning and gaining experience continues, but this is also a moment of celebration for them.”
The program of the performance was compiled by curated by HDU’s Rector Márta Fodor-Molnár, Chair of the Artistic Council Tamás Nagy and Director of the Institute of Dance Artist Training, Szilárd Macher.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the students and masters for their dedicated work!
