Márton Balog performed very well at the Prix de Lausanne ballet competition. Although the Hungarian Dance University’s (HDU) student did not make it to the finals in the extremely strong field, participation in this event is already a privilege. His impressive performance was further highlighted by the fact that 14 schools approached him with offers during the Sunday networking session.
At the Prix de Lausanne ballet competition, the event was attended in person by Márta-Fodor Molnár, Rector of the Hungarian Dance University; János Kiss, Artist of the Nation and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Tamás Nagy, Associate Professor and Chair of the Arts Council; and Attila Kalmár, Head of HDU’s Department of Modern and Theatrical Dance.
Marci Balog has grown, as both the photo and the results show (in the photo: Tamás Nagy, Márton Balog, Márta-Fodor Molnár, and János Kiss).
Attila Kalmár told us that Marci Balog was approached by the world’s leading ballet schools, indicating that he truly attracted attention at the world’s most prestigious ballet competition.
Boróka Kosaras participated in the partner schools’ choreographer project, during which choreographer Edwaard Liang created a piece for 27 dancers in just eight days. The choreography was performed at the finals on Saturday and was also featured on Sunday at the Rising Star Gala. Edwaard Liang was extremely pleased with Boróka, who even danced a small solo in the performance.
Attila Kalmár answered several of our questions.
How would do describe the level of the competition?
It was a stiff competition in Marci’s age group, as well as among the senior girls. We also saw impressive performances among the senior boys.
How satisfied are you—so, how satisfied are the Masters with the students’ performance?
I am completely satisfied, and so is the excellent ballet master József Medvecz, who prepared Marci. Marci is an exceptional talent and an ideal danser noble type, a dedicated and intelligent dancer who is truly a pleasure to work with. Accordingly, he performed wonderfully at the competition, both in classical ballet and modern classes, as well as in performing classical and modern variations. Since dance is an art form, no matter how much one tries to make evaluation criteria objective, subjectivity and other dance-specific factors cannot be entirely eliminated. We are also very proud of Boróka, together with her teacher Angéla Kövessy, as it is a very important feedback for us that a choreographer specifically enjoys working with our students.
And how satisfied do you think the young dancers are?
I believe that participating in the Prix de Lausanne 2026 was a defining experience and valuable learning opportunity for both of them, which will certainly have an impact on their further professional development.
Congratulations to the two students of the Hungarian Dance University for their outstanding performance at this world-class competition!
