Between 11th and 15th November 2024, Budapest Dance Hack brought together dancers, technologists, and creatives from across Europe to explore the intersection of contemporary dance and digital innovation. Hosted by Central Europe Dance Theatre at Bethlen Téri Színház, the week-long residency featured artistic experimentation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and technology-infused performance-making.
The event was co-organised by TaikaBox (Finland), Developing Art (Romania), and supported by the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture programme. Additional contributors included Art is Business, Intelligent Power Solutions Kft., and independent innovators like Tarr Kálmán.
Central European Dance Theatre (CEDT) has a long history: it was the first dance theatre in Hungary and one of the best-known independent contemporary dance companies. The predecessor of CEDT was founded in 1978 by the Ministry of Culture as a branch of the Népszínház (‘People’s Theatre’), merged from the 25th Theatre and the Déryné Theatre in the Castle Theatre.
The Népszínház Dance Ensemble represented a particular colour in the Hungarian dance art: the company’s artistic work was based on folklore, yet its aspirations were still close to modern theatrical trends. The face of the repertoire was defined by the creative work of artistic director Katalin Györgyfalvay. In 1988, István Énekes and Csaba Szögi took over the management of the Népszínház Dance Ensemble. In 1989, the Népszínház Dance Ensemble was renamed, and thus the Central Europe Dance Theatre was born, which operated as a branch of the Népszínház until 1991, and then as a branch of the Budapest Chamber Theatre until 1996, becoming an independent public association in 1997.
The company has performed in 44 cities in 22 countries, from the United States to Armenia, Finland and Egypt, and has given more than 120 premieres. CEDT was the first Hungarian company to perform on Broadway in New York. In September 1996, the Ministry of Culture decided to move the company to the former Bethlen Cinema. The former theatre at 3 Bethlen Square was reopened as a rehearsal space in 1997, and since then many unforgettable theatre evenings and performances have proven that the decision was the right one. In January 2012, the venue was renamed Bethlen Square Theatre, with the dance theatre playing a major role.
The ensemble, led by its founder-director Csaba Szögi, operates as an open workshop. During this time, more than 70 choreographers have worked with the ever-changing company. Artists are invited who do not realise their artistic visions in the clichés of safe and proven forms of movement, but who take the risks of the uncharted path and create their performances with courageous, original means of expression.
Artistic Director, dancer, choreographer, composer
I began my career in 1999 at the Miskolc National Theater. Following this, I started my studies at the Budapest Contemporary Dance School, then became a dancer at the MU Terminal Creative Workshop, and attended the Choreography program at the Hungarian Dance Academy. Since 2009, I have been a key member of the Central Europe Dance Theatre, and as of autumn 2023, its artistic director. My artistic and choreographic mission is to convey the 'transcendence' of dance and strengthen its authority. In 2021, I was honored with the Hungarian Bronze Medal of Merit for my dedicated work in contemporary dance. I create choreographies in various dance languages and enrich them with educational programs aimed at the next generation's understanding. As a self-taught composer and music editor, I am frequently involved in the performances of young creative talents, having composed music for over 30 productions since 2010.
General manager and Production Manager of CEDT
Born in Budapest in 1986. After Art Highschool she graduated from the Faculty of Acting at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Kaposvár in 2008. She worked as an actor at the Hungarian National Theatre from 2008-2017, and as a presenter and program director at MÜPA from 2014-2017. Since 2020 project manager and managing director, artistic and organisational director of the Terminal Contemporary Art Association. She created the online magazine and art platform Bátorságok Könyve (Book of Courage), where she was the director and editor.
Since September 2023, she is the General Manager and Production Manager of Central- Europe Dance Theatre (CEDT).
She has created several theatrical productions, dance performances, and movement theatre performances which she has produced and managed.
Technical leader, lighting technician, lighting designer
I was born in 1995 in a town dealing with the iron industry in the middle of Hungary. Both of my parents worked as electricians. I graduated as a logistician, but I couldn't find my place in office work. I quit to look for something else, and since they knew me at the theater in Dunaújváros, they offered me a job as a lighting technician. I tried it, it became love. It was a well-equipped theater and there were very few of us in the area, so I had to learn everything quickly. In the meantime, I also graduated as an electrician. When I was looking for new challenges, I got the opportunity at the Central European Dance Theater. I am very happy to work with dance performances, I still see many opportunities in the company
Communication Manager
After having a gap year in the USA I decided to apply to a university in Groningen, the northest city in the Netherlands. Although we had several interesting courses that I could utilize in my future career, in the last year of my studies I started a “Communication and management of arts” specialization course part time in Hungary. After finishing my bachelors in the Netherlands, I decided to move back to my home country and started working at a theater in the capital. In the winter of 2023 I joined CEDT’s team as Head of communication and it is very motivational to work with the new management team. Before that I had many many experiences in so to say regular theaters, but I had less with dance companies.
Kálmán Tarr is a lecturer in the Digital Object Creation department at the Moholy-Nagy University of Arts, where he teaches courses focusing on human-machine interaction and microelectronics. He is also a researcher at the MOME Robotics Studio. His doctoral dissertation deals with development environments for artists and designers. His research was inspired by his own project Stage of Impossibilities, which involved the development of a puppet-moving device that allows children with multiple disabilities to control a marionette puppet with head movements. In addition, he creates interactive installations, exhibition projects and audiovisual performances.
Borka Moravcsik is a service and design designer, also an instructor of the Digital Object Creation specialization at the Moholy-Nagy University of the Arts, where he teaches courses focusing on human-machine interaction, game design and the maker movement. In addition, he deals with service and design design, primarily in social design topics. Currently, Atlas Rise! He works in a design studio, but he was also a research resident at FabLab in Barcelona, where he obtained his master's degree in Design for Emergent Futures, focusing specifically on building participatory design methodologies.
Csilla Gesztelyi Nagy is a dancer, choreographer, teacher and Craniosacral therapist. She studied at the Hungarian Dance Academy and at CODARTS- Rotterdam Dance Academy. Since 2008 she has been collaborating with ARTUS – Gábor Goda Company. Since 2012 she has been creating with CIPOLLA COLLECTIVA as the leader of the collective.
John’s approach to art-making generally involves collaboration, often working with dancers to create digital augmentation of their physical expression. With a background in visual arts, touring theatre and event management, he has applied his creative problem-solving skills, contributing to projects around the globe and is usually found in the darkest corner of a room, either squinting at a laptop, pushing buttons or selecting records.
Tanja has been working as a choreographer and dancer for over 20 years. She is interested in promoting positive body image and exploring the fundamental power in arts to re-shape people's perceptions of everyday life, as well as politics and society. As a choreographer, performer and mentor she is interested in the relationship between movement and new technology, the challenges that technology places on choreography and new opportunities that it can offer. She considers the use of technology in her choreographic work as organic and live – as an extension of physical expression.
Jussi is a freelance sound artist, musician, sound designer, workshop manager and event organiser. He’s been working with music technology since 1993 and in that time has performed at numerous events. His philosophy is that the stage can be everywhere. He has developed sound art / electronic music / podcast workshops for a wide range of organisations. He has been part of Oulu Dance Hack for many years and is currently developing Oulu Sound Hack.
Dániel Fórizs works in audiovisual content production, studied art communication at Freeszfe Theater and movement have somehow always been a part of his life, and his work is organized around them, which makes him feel lucky!
Tamás Petró is a seasoned professional in the field of filmmaking, having participated in film courses both in Budapest and the United States. He spent nearly six years in the U.S., where he worked on short films and commercials.
Additionally, he contributed to the storyboarding of key editing sequences for major feature films, working as an assistant director and production designer on larger Hollywood productions, offering both creative and operational support.
As an intern at NBCUniversal Media, he gained hands-on experience at Universal Studios and was a participant in NBC Television’s (New York) mentorship program for two years, followed by three and a half years in the Universal Studios (Los Angeles) mentorship program, supported by the New York Film Academy.
Producer
Laura is an independent producer based in Bucharest (RO). She has been working for cultural projects for 10 years, and in the performing arts field since 2016. She has produced and coordinated contemporary dance performances, theatre performances and interdisciplinary projects as well as cultural events, both in the public sector, and in the independent one.
In 2023 she received the award for the contribution brought to the development of the contemporary dance from the National Center for Dance Bucharest.
She is interested in how a performance reflects the society's social constructs and daily life, and she is fond of documentary performances as a way of involving the communities in creative processes. She advocates for better work conditions for the cultural workers and non-hierarchical work dynamics.
Since 2021 she is a member of PAMPA, an international network for producers, agents, and managers in performing arts, based in Europe.
Movement Artist and Dance Therapist. My interests lie at the intersection between art, science, anthropology and therapy
Irina Marinescu fell in love with contemporary dance in 2009. Since then, she has participated in contemporary dance workshops, Feldenkrais, Viewpoints, Axis Syllabus, Das Theater Feedback Method, Contact improvisation, Gaga, dance and film production workshops with Romanian and foreign professionals.
She has worked for The National Dance Center Bucharest and participated at the Cultural Management Academy 2019, is a founder of the UnShame Dance platform, cofounder of the cultural NGO Developing Art and currently she is an independent artist and cultural manager. She wants to offer new perspectives of the world and its stories through various media and languages – be it dance, new media, stand up comedy. Her interests also lie at the intersection between art and therapy, art and science and art and anthropology. She collaborates with artists from various backgrounds to create creative and development contexts where authentic connections, experiment and emotions are the main ingredients.
From 2019 she started doing Stand-up Comedy and from 2022 she has started a long term training specialization on dance-movement-therapy.
Joyce is a creative coder and technologist based in Amsterdam, with a deep interest in exploring the intersection between dance/performance art and technology. Holding a MSc Media Technology, she has experience working with motion capture, drones, AI, lights, generative visuals, interactive audio-visual installations and education. She is enthusiastic, passionate and creative and mostly enjoys the experimentation process of creating new works in collaboration with others.
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Ioulia is a designer and artistic researcher. She has an insatiable thirst for learning new things, whether in an intellectual or embodied way, and an inclination to be near the sea. Instagram
Gabor is a dedicated creative technologist exploring the intersection of art and technology. His extensive experience in the field of art and technology spans over two decades. He specializes in interactive new media installations, computer vision, and real-time generated video projections. While his creations are rooted in computational generative art, he firmly believes in the enriching power of dance and human motion in enhancing digital visuals.
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Erik was born in a small village in The Netherlands. He always felt that he was in the middle between everything and everyone, between the cool people and the nerds, hiphop and the contemporary world, the subsidised and the commercial world and he never felt quite at home in just one of those. Erik’s first encounter with Hungary (performing outside every day in 40 degrees Celsius at Sziget 2013) left him content and confused.
He likes riding his motorcycle into muddy fields and then spending hours trying to get out of them again. He uses his phone a lot and would love to use it less. He likes DnB, Romanian choir singing, old Break, Hiphop and Metalcore and has spent the last 2 years converting a 125 year old house to modern sustainable living.
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Hailing from Budapest, Hungary, Dori is a contemporary dancer, teacher, and aerialist with degrees from Eötvös Lorand University Faculty of Humanities and the Budapest Circus Art and Contemporary Dance Collage. She is the co-founder of the Psycle Of Movement Imagination and the One Thousand Faces collectives.
She is excited by abstract shapes and the unusual, novel movement of the body. She considers the formation of character arising from the physical system merged with imagination to be important.
Dori currently works on her solo performance, performs in various international projects, gives regular dance and aerial hoop classes, and travels with her “Lyra Flow” workshop.
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Gábor Kindl is a dancer, born in 2000, and this is his third season at Central Europe Dance Theatre, and graduated at the Hungarian Dance University in 2022. He's been working with Icon Model Management as a model since 2024.
At age of 19 he worked with Royal Ballet Fehérvár in the piece, Romeo and Juliet. He was an intern at Győri Ballet for half a year.
