The Dance Hack program was simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar territory for me. As a choreographer I work with technology, and as an artist I have had numerous opportunities to participate in international residency programs. Still I was looking forward to Dance Hack, because the team and the role of the mentor was new to me.
It was my first time visiting Finland, and Oulu as well, where I found the environment novel and wonderful.
As beautiful, supportive, inspiring, and safe the environment was, I felt the same with the team at the theater from the very first day, and this feeling remained until the very last day.
The experience from the very first improvisation exercise is still vivid in my memory, where I moved together with people who were almost completely or only slightly unfamiliar to me, yet from the very first moment, I felt as if we already knew each other for a long time.
As a mentor, I had many questions and a sense of excitement about how my mentoring activities would unfold. Somehow, it was able to develop organically, day by day.
During the shared warm-ups, training, and improvisation sessions, I had the opportunity to experience in my own body how others move, their movement language, dynamics, rhythm, and interests. This became the primary bridge through which I could connect with the performers.
During shared lunches, afternoon activities, or evening free-time programs spent with the participants, I somehow managed to connect with them on a different level than in the theater. Through these personal connections, I got to know more about what motivates them, what might hold them back or worry them, and based on this, I tried to suggest exercises or ideas that could support their creativity, help them unfold, or simply provide them with a sense of calm.
In theater situations, if I noticed that someone was hesitant to try something, frustrated that their idea might not be good enough, or felt they had no ideas to share with others, I tried to reinforce them with positive feedback. These moments often led to great ideas that others could also connect with.
There were times when I came up with an idea and invited a dancer, technologist, or musician into it. Sometimes, I gladly handed over the scene entirely and stepped back, observing and facilitating the process from the outside. Other times, I tried to step back, but it became clear that the scene also required my presence on stage—of course, in close collaboration with the others.
Somehow, after the Oulu Dance Hack, I came to realize that the mentor’s role is to be visible at times and invisible at others. In my interpretation, the mentor moves somewhere between the roles of creator, teacher, facilitator and audience.
Two things came to mind regarding the role of a mentor. One is that, as a craniosacral therapist, we approach treatment with the intention not to change anything but to allow the body to realign itself according to its natural order within a supportive attentiveness. There is a similar kind of presence here as well.
The intention is to provide a creative space. However, what will emerge from it and how that something will come into being is unknown—and we do not wish to know. Yet, we are there with a supportive awareness , ensuring the presence of this creative space.
The other image that resonates with this mentoring role is the symbolism of the High Priestess card in the Marseille Tarot. It embodies the same kind of wise waiting: we act when the time comes for action, and when it is a time for non-action, we observe.
My participation in the Budapest Dance Hack evolved differently than in Oulu, which is natural. As part of the organizing team here, there were significantly more tasks, and probably higher expectations of ourselves as well. Additionally, this was the first time I worked with several Hungarian colleagues in such a form.
What I truly enjoyed, despite it being quite challenging, was the selection process, where we chose 5 participants out of nearly 80 applicants. I encountered some truly amazing artistic works and projects, and most of the motivation letters revealed additional human values that deeply resonated with me. It was an honour to be part of this process.
After the experience in Oulu, it became important to me to ensure that in Budapest, at the start and end of each day, there was a bodywork or somatic practice session. These moments allowed us to reconnect with the sensations of our bodies, turn our attention inward, and calm our nervous systems. When we are, on one hand, many people in a smaller space, and on the other hand, working extensively with technological devices, we are exposed to invisible data, and impulses that can become overwhelming.
Despite all my efforts, I still felt that there was often tension in the room, as well as within myself, and then a thought came to me: perhaps it would be fortunate if the Dance Hack were even one day longer, and there could be a rest day with free activities.
During the Bucharest Dance Hack, I had several opportunities to connect with technologists also, which I was particularly pleased about. Compared to the previous two Dance Hacks, I took a step back here to observe and facilitate the sessions, which allowed me to better perceive group dynamics. Additionally, I made several suggestions that were not solely focused on shaping the creative space but also on fostering communication among the participants.
In Bucharest, I asked Jussi for mentorship for the first time, sharing with him my difficulties,, and there were moments when I helped Andreea, the other mentor, with the processes. During our conversation with Jussi, several questions arose: how does a mentor facilitate another mentor, and do mentors also mentor the staff, or only the participants? We got to the mutual answer: Absolutely! During the week, so many unexpected things will happen and if we see/feel we can help someone, we will.
Looking back on the three different Dance Hacks and the more than year-long process surrounding them, I have gained countless new and unforgettable experiences. I feel that valuable human connections were formed, and scenes were created where the fusion of dance and technology unveiled entirely new perspectives.
I believe Dance Hack is a 21st-century ritual where creative individuals come together, transcending nations, cultures, and knowledge, to co-create and flow in a supportive and inspiring harmony.
Why ritual? Because rituals are symbolic actions that connect us to one another and create bonds. The disappearance of rituals based on repetition in modern industrial societies, optimized for production, erodes communities, leading to a sense of homelessness and the loss of support and stability. This is what Byung-Chul Han writes about in his book The Disappearance of Rituals: A Topology of the Present.
I am hopeful that Dance Hack will continue, as I would love to participate again. I would not only join the Budapest program but also the international version, as I have learned a great deal about myself and others. I believe I can also share valuable knowledge that could be beneficial and fruitful for others.
