Film Screening: 30 Shades of Dance

Péter Ertl, director of the National Dance Theatre, stressed that such a comprehensive dance film involving nation-wide cooperation has never been made before. Filmed with the participation of 30 regular ensembles of the National Dance Theatre, the production showcases the virtuosity and diversity of Hungarian dance in iconic Hungarian locations, including Eger Castle, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Avas Lookout Tower in Miskolc.

The film was produced by DelbeauFilm, with Balázs Delbó serving as director, cinematographer, and editor; Gréta Fontányi as assistant director and editor; Helga Hóbor as producer; and Nikolett Kaszner as photographer. Through their collaboration, the film sheds light not only on the various facets of dance, but also the atmosphere of the locations and the cultural messages inherent in the movements.

What makes the film unique is that it does not tell a linear story but weaves together movements, locations and styles to form a visual essay. As the audience is swept along by the flow of images, thoughts and emotions, they can experience how dance becomes both a force for preserving identity and a modern means of artistic expression.

The film explores the world of Hungarian dance in seven chapters. Roots and Soaring showcases roots nourished by tradition and history, which provide a stable foundation for soaring and the emergence of new theatrical genres. Thoughts Set in Motion explores how the body becomes a vehicle for wordless messages. The Poetry of the Body presents dance as poetry: movements flow into one another and pulsate, while they wash over us like a torrent of images and moods, embraced by the music. Organic Vibrations highlights the body’s internal tremors: the movements are at times gentle and restrained, at others sudden, and wild, as if releasing tension.

In the second half of the film, the focus shifts to the future and to pushing boundaries. Dancers of the Future shows how the present is built upon the past, and how a gateway opens onto tomorrow. In the chapter Reality on Stage, inner instincts take centre stage – movements are dictated not by learned form but by liberated energy. Finally, Academic Forms – Pushing the Boundaries juxtaposes technical discipline with the transgression of formal boundaries, where dance searches for its own language.