Hungarian National Dance Company: Monarchy

Dances from the Heart of Europe

 

The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy was „born” in 1867 with the compromise between the House of Habsburg and the Kingdom of Hungary and it became the second largest and the third most populated country in Europe, a real multilingual and multicultural state that comprised many different nationalities and ethnic groups.

A prosperous period came. The Monarchy’s economy boomed, new theaters, universities, hospitals were built and the unusually liberal Minority Act was codified. The folk art began to flourish like never before: the decorative art prospered, the folk costumes became more colorful and ornamented. Although life was not devoid of tensions, the different ethnic groups managed to live together in peace and all of them preserved their own traditional dances, musical and cultural heritage.

We show some traditional, virtuosic dances of the Monarchy’s different ethnic groups. The spectators can see many beautiful costumes and the incredibly rich folkloristic culture of the different nationalities. We also flash moments from the lives of the rich noblemen.

 

We hope that this performance, representing the inestimable value of the Central European culture, not only entertains the viewers but also calls attention to the fact that the only way towards a common future is to get to know and respect other nations’ culture.