The Corvinus Közgáz Folk Dance Ensemble was founded – under the name Közgáz Folk Dance Ensemble – in 1948 by a handful of enthusiastic university students at the Hungarian University of Economic Sciences, now Budapest Corvinus University. Over the past sixty years, seven generations have succeeded one another in the rehearsal room and stage and there have been dancers who have been members of two, perhaps three groups, since some members stay on to swell the numbers having once graduated. Besides new members who are largely from rural areas and come up to the capital to study, the artistic directors, who change periodically, brought a new level and dynamism to the company’s life and work. The jubilee performances, which occur every five years, offer an opportunity for former and present dancers to celebrate together, to get to know one another and to revive old memories. In this year’s programme we will see a selection from the finest and most popular choreographies of the past six decades – performed by nearly sixty couples. During this imaginary journey through time, the choreographies of László Gulyás, László Náfrádi, Gyöngyvér Hortobágyi, Péter Lévai, Tibor Berta, Noémi Fehér and Attila Jánosi will come to life once more, embracing the dance traditions of the Carpathian Basin. Besides older dancers, naturally we will see members of the current company, who will be presenting the latest choreographies by Irén Deffend and Gergő Sánta. The dance ensemble will be accompanied by its traditional band, the Gázsa Band, but all musicians who have played with the Közgáz dancers in the past have been invited along.

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