In May 2024, the Central European Dance Theatre will organise the 11th edition of the International Monodance Festival, which will once again be hosted by the Bethlen Square Theatre.
The International Monodance Festival, launched in 2005, is a unique cultural event in our country. The programme of the biennial festival is always a selection of dance performances from the past years, providing an essence of the most outstanding creators and performers of the Hungarian and international dance scene. for mono dances.
A mono dance was inspired by and modelled on monodramas. Performances that are based on the personal testimonies of their creators are included in this category. However, monodance is not - necessarily - the same as solo dance, so the invited performances are not exclusively solo performances.
In 2005, the Harangozó Prize winner István Énekes, one of the festival's initiators - along with Csaba Szögi - launched the programme with these lines:
"At the beginning of the 21st century, we know that technology can do almost anything. If not today, then tomorrow. A naive man who is surprised by anything. But the sensation of technology will be gone tomorrow. In the confusion of values, one of the surest points of reference for millennia has been the One-Sensitive Man himself. With his mental and physical achievements, his voluntary exposure. The Monodance Festival will showcase some of these indisputable intellectual and physical achievements. From solo - or almost solo - performances by the finest contemporary dance artists. Year after year, we want the Festival to be a gathering of brave people, of those who always want to do something new, who don't want to hide, but on the contrary, want to break out."
In addition to renowned local artist-performers, the event has also featured several world-renowned artists over the years. As a further step towards internationalisation, the first Monotanz Festival was held in Seoul, South Korea in 2019. Since then, the festivals in Budapest and Seoul have alternated every year.