The creators of the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble had an old dream come true when they encountered Nikola Parov's fresh-sounding, dynamic popular music, rolling with ancient motifs. To the composer's unique ethno-music, featuring saxophone, drums and brass, they added the most dynamic and powerful movements of Hungarian folk dance, a veritable dance storm. Their collaboration, based on the essence of the musical and dance traditions of the region, gave birth to a creative 21st century dance theatre vision, which presents the cult of the sun, its role in our lives, the relationship between its celestial journey and the course and turning points of human life, through the specific means of art.
For me, discovering traditions resembles walking along a path in a garden filled with secrets. However, I do not only find magic and wonders hidden in the bushes; I keep finding myself again and again as well.
A short - and naturally subjective - introduction of an artist’s work spanning through more than two decades is not an easy task. To mention all philosophical principles and artistic styles that have directly or indirectly influenced my activities. To comment on the nature of traditions. To answer the eternal question: how to deal with our traditions, as well as the influence of European or “global” cultures; to allow people, who have been battling this conflict for a long time, to find their own path! Of course I have realized that traditional culture is nothing more than finding our own path that leads us to such recognition. Culture shall only blossom when it’s represented by someone - as culture is a living substance that survives through people, that is, the people of today.
It is my opinion that the contemporary folk dance arts based on traditions, represented by the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, speaks the language (and addresses) of today’s audience, and therefore incorporates the traditional dance and music culture into the world of today.
My works have been most influenced by Béla Bartók, whose mentality and oeuvre proves that tradition and modernity are disciplines that show complementarity.
As the ensemble’s leader, I consider myself the successor to my great predecessors: Miklós Rábai, “the legendary founder”, and Sándor Timár, “the father of the dance house movement”. It is my belief that under my leadership, the ensemble has entered (and shall continue) into a new era. We created a new ensemble that is open to modern arts, and at the same time, focuses on traditional folk dance interpretations. My works combine traditional folk dance and music, modern dance and music, contemporary stage elements, as well as modern dramaturgy, in order to create a contemporary folk dance theatre that represents universal values, serving communities and individuals alike.