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dance, contemporary circus
Hungarian National Dance Ensemble: Carnival Sunday at Müpa Budapest
11 February 2024, Sunday
7 pm - 8:25 pm
Béla Bartók National Concert Hall
Produced by Müpa Budapest

“If a person has a good friend, a good acquaintance, he invites them over, shutting out his sorrows and worries at the door for this brief period, and uncorks his wine. ‘Let it flow’, goes the lament he releases into the wind, ‘Let it run dry; since the carnival is short anyway, and the fast is long: why not be merry when we can?” This is how, with his usual perceptiveness, the great Hungarian writer Mór Jókai captured the essence of the period between the Epiphany and Ash Wednesday in folk culture. And this is exactly the same thing that the new production from the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble is doing, with dancing, music and drama.

This new premiere from the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble, Müpa Budapest’s ensemble of the season led by Kossuth Prize-winning dancer and choreographer and Artist of the Nation Zoltán Zsuráfszky, offers a glimpse into the unbridled and cheerful fun of the carnival. Reflected in each other in this large-scale work by director/choreographer Zoltán Zsuráfszky and associate director/choreographer Zsuzsa Zs. Vincze are both the old and the new, the archaic and the modern, in a show proving that the centuries-old folk customs have not lost one bit of their power. Because it doesn’t matter whether we live in a village or a city: we all bury the winter in the same way and call out as one for the long-awaited spring. The carnival, held over the last three days of the pre-Lenten period, was the highlight of the entire season, with non-stop dancing and festivities taking place all across the countryside. The world would have seemed like it had been turned upside down, taken over by merry debauchery, loving mockery and imaginative parody. The young team of the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble evokes the cheerful and inimitable doughnut-scented atmosphere of the carnival with virtuoso dances, a complex musical world and vibrant spectacle. And as viewers both young and old alike watch the dances in amazement, we can all join together in hoping that the harsh winter will finally pass, giving way at last for the brightness of a green dawn.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest

Performed by:

the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble and Band (artistic director: Zoltán Zsuráfszky)

Featuring:

Honvéd Male Choir (choirmaster: Richárd Riederauer)
Virtus Bagpipe Band
Vujicsics Ensemble
Fanfare Rézeleje
Angyalföld Vadrózsa Dance Ensemble Rózsabimbó, Kis Vadvirág and Vadvirág children's groups (choreographer: Kristóf Fundák)
clarinet, tárogató, saxophone Péter Makó
saxophone Balázs ‘Dongó' Szokolay
trumpet Árpád Kiss
tuba Attila Peresztegi
actors Ádám Schnell, Márk Horváth

Creators:

music László Rossa
set design Kázmér Tóth
folk music curators Attila Csávás
Sándor D. Tóth
István Gázsa Papp
dance ensemble assistants Sándor Juhász
Júlia Paput
Gergő Sánta
Attila Tókos
assistant choreographers Flórián Hajdú, Attila Tompa
costumes, associate director/choreographer Zsuzsa Zs. Vincze
director/choreographer Zoltán Zsuráfszky
  • We wish to inform you that in the event that Müpa Budapest's underground garage and outdoor car park are operating at full capacity, it is advisable to plan for increased waiting times when you arrive. In order to avoid this, we recommend that you depart for our events in time, so that you you can find the ideal parking spot quickly and smoothly and arrive for our performance in comfort. The Müpa Budapest underground garage gates will be operated by an automatic number plate recognition system. Parking is free of charge for visitors with tickets to any of our paid performances on that given day. The detailed parking policy of Müpa Budapest is available here.

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