The situation, unfortunately, has basically not changed since the political transition. To this day, contemporary dance companies are still unable to plan beyond their day-to-day survival. Their main challenge now, is finding a solution for their long-term survival.

While the most supported Hungarian companies have been known to perform with promising results abroad, they are not always given worthy encouragement domestically. Companies like the Yvette Bozsik Company, TranzDanz, Artus, Central-European Dance Theatre and the Szeged Contemporary Dance Company provide a positive picture of the artistic standard of the country. Hungary can also be proud of its young and up-and-coming artists such as Ferenc Fehér, Márta Ladjánszki, Réka Szabó and the members of the Off Company.

These successes, however, mean nothing more than the beginning of a process of integrating these artists onto the international scene. One that will require much more international cooperation and investment. Artists like Andrea Ladányi, Pál Frenák and Attila Kun, who all returned to Hungary after long periods of work abroad, could become key figures in this process as they have been introduced to a more open, flexible and professional approach to contemporary dance.

But at the same time, some of these dance companies are forced to live a double life. They finance their activities at home from performance fees received abroad. This has become one solution to the impossibility of maintaining a dance company on the paltry amounts of funding available from the Hungarian state.

Despite these difficulties, the profession continues to be dynamic and the number of performance venues and workshops are increasing.

Once neglected by the state, new dance is only now slowly seeing the light of day

The two most important settings for contemporary dance in Hungary are the Trafó House of Contemporary Art and the MU Theater. The Trafó selects its performers on the basis of high production values and standards, but sometimes also provides space for beginner choreographers.

György Szabó, director of the Trafó says an important goal is not only to launch new companies, but also to gather support for an increase in the number of venues. In this way, venues would be able to establish their own concepts and artistic direction. As such, he says, if the director of the venue would “fall in love” with the work of a creator, the institution could provide the artist with more opportunities of mobility.

The MU Theater, under Tibor Leszták, also supports young artists in their early professional life and provides improvisation training. The National Dance Theater – managed by Jolán Török – is the first official theater for dance, and presents a wide array of dance productions. The Szkéné, under the direction of János Regös, tends to accommodate mainly theatrical works, but also organizes international movement festivals as well.

Both the Millenáris and the Merlin Theater provide space for dance productions, and the Thália is a also popular festival site.

A new patch of color on the scene is also the Merz Ház, under László Lantos and János Gasner, which pushes a more radical trend of performance-experimental theater of contemporary dance.

Another positive tendency is that, other than the existing Artus Stúdió and the Goli Tánchely, two new workshops have lined up: the L1, with a group of creative artists, and the Mozdulatművészeti Stúdió, lead by the members of the Még 1 Mozdulatszínház. These venues offer opportunities for rehearsals, training, workshops and creative work.

Szabó says he also believes that decision-makers and curators who distribute funds are not always well-versed in the artistic works of companies whose lot they decide. Meanwhile, the professionals who lead the venues have this knowledge at their fingertips.

In recent months, the Hungarian daily Népszabadság, published a series of interviews with the heads of different dance venues which revealed just how unanimous the consensus is that the contemporary dance scene is in peril. The main complaint was largely due to a lack of adequate support.

The Contemporary Dance Theater Association (KTE) is working on a study entitled: “Concept of Developing Independent Contemporary Dance Life.” The study suggests that the amounts available from Hungary’s Culture Ministry (NKOM) and the National Cultural Fund (NKA) remain inadequate.

György Szabó, director of Trafó

The ideal solution would be a multi-channeled system of support: a network of public and private foundations with the active involvement of business. A development plan, however, remains an issue of the future. The dance companies are almost completely dependent on support from municipal authorities, the ministry and the NKA. The Soros Foundation, which had previously supported the profession with an annual sum of HUF 40 million (down from a former HUF 80 million) for innovative studio-performances, has reversed its financial support. As a result, the profession could fall into an even worse situation unless a new circle of financial backers are secured.

In an optimal case each company could have its own management and agencies would coordinate communication between artists and financial supporters. Such a pioneering system would infuse performers with more energy and professionalism.

The situation of two national companies – the Szeged Contemporary Dance Company and the Győr Ballet are exceptions, as both ensembles have expanded their networks of support to include main corporate sponsors.

The profession also faces the challenge that it remains almost uniquely located in Budapest.

“The future of contemporary dance depends on whether we succeed in developing an effective country-wide network,” says Szabó.

Development of an export-import strategy is also a pivotal issue. Szabó says that the Műhely Foundation, a non-profit organization, has now moved toward exporting a Hungarian cultural product by helping to create a management background for touring by offering good quality video-recording of performances and the opportunity to join international programs and regular, biennial “showcase” weekends. Such weekends could see the introduction of Hungarian artists in the presence of foreign producers.

“In order that we can communicate with Europe, the whole cultural sphere has to transform, so that we can gain a perspective of the international trends. We have to become able of conceptual thinking, and place ourselves in the system at the same time,” says Szabó.