With the support of the National Cultural Fund, the Foundation established the Studio Ensemble in 1998 (comprising members of the ballet troupe of the Hungarian State Opera House and students of the Hungarian Dance Academy). In the same year, it also undertook the long-awaited launch of a “choreographers’ workshop” at the Opera House, facilitating a smoother path for young talent and the discovery of individual new styles. The model for this initiative came from abroad: it is enough for us to mention the young choreographers’ studio in Stuttgart. The likes of Jiří Kylián, John Neumeier and William Forsythe – whose names will be familiar to aficionados of contemporary ballet – all began their choreographing careers at various times in Stuttgart in a similar way to the artists participating in our Evening of Contemporary Choreographers. One never knows when and where the next Choreographer of the Future will emerge. The choreographers in the show have already gained international success. Andrea P. Merlo’s Lennon Suite and Marianna Venekei’s work entitled Chapter II won first prizes in international choreography competitions in 2002 and 2003, respectively. The works of András Lukács have met with great success on stage at both the Staatsoper in Vienna and the Hungarian State Opera House. At evenings of the Contemporary Studio of the Stuttgart Ballet in 2005, the choreographed works of Lukács entitled Connection and Whirling, as well as Andrea P. Merlo’s Uncertain Harmony, were presented to great acclaim. In 2008, Levente Bajári’s Way of Words received a special prize from the hosts of the Ballet Stars Festival in Donetsk, and in the same year Bajári won the audience prize for his work entitled Point at the World Ballet Stars Gala. Also in 2008, Andrea P. Merlo’s Métamorphoses Nocturnes was performed by invitation at the 50th anniversary of the Noverre Gesellschaft, while the audience at the International Ballet Gala in Bratislava had the chance to see the same choreographer’s work Fragments in 2010. Levente Bajári’s Way of Words and Marianna Venekei’s Déja Vu featured at the 18th World Ballet Stars Gala in Budapest to great success. Onward promises to be a fascinating and varied evening of contemporary ballet pieces, which it is hoped will feature not only works by the choreographers mentioned above but also new creations from young artists just embarking on their careers in dance.

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