Pécs2010 European Capital of Culture director Tamás Szalay noted that the Pécs Ballet, established in 1960, was considered the top company in the country in the 70s and 80s. The festival aims to achieve this kind of profile again, he added.
The idea for the festival came about when looking for ways to strengthen Hungary's dance arts, said Pécs Ballet director Balázs Vincze. Hungary has the capacity for two big dance events, he said, referring to the Győr Dance Biennale.
"The two events are not rivals, rather they have the same goals within the profession," Vincze said. In the future, there are plans to establish a Central European dance festival by harmonising the events, he added.
For the second time the Pécs Dance Convention will feature a children's performance: Cinderella, by the Duna Arts Ensemble with music by the folk band Ghymes. A contemporary piece, Urban Dance Theatre Connections, speaks to the teenagers of the "baseball-cap generation".
The Hungarian Movement Arts Society - Central European Dance Theatre will bring a production of Cain and Abel to the convention, and Bratislava's Slovak National Ballet will perform Inspiration, a classical piece that uses the music of Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.
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| Balázs Vincze |
The Yvette Bozsik Troupe will return to the festival with Souldance. Dansgroep Amsterdam De Chatel & Galili will Show Roots with the music of György Kurtág and György Ligeti.
Local and amateur dancers will show their best work in the framework of the open-air Dance Stage Square programme which aims to show festival-goers the different types of dance.
In addition to performances, professional forums will be open to the public.
Gábor Mihályi, the chairman of the Hungarian Dance Arts Association, said the professional organisation was supporting the festival by trying to draw attention away from Budapest to other centres of dance around the country.
Szeged Contemporary Ballet director András Pataki said his company together with the Pécs Ballet had a joint task to reinforce the cultural base in southern Hungary.
Author: Eszter Szász / Photo: Dániel Kováts
