Horváth Nóra - Oláh Balázs: BÁL

On Trafó’s stage, two music and dance styles, which couldn’t seem further apart, meet in the choreography of Nóra Horváth and Balázs Oláh, who combine contemporary and folk dance techniques with the mulatós genre. Another key feature of the performance is electronic music inspired by the hyperpop microgenre, known for its fractured, distorted, layered and playful sound, that is the perfect antithesis of the mulatós, reflecting the overwhelming flood of information in the digital world, which can burn out everything and everyone. The two dancers and choreographers are accompanied live by the experimental musician András Molnár, who is a regular collaborator of several local choreographers, and the vocalist and keyboardist, Oliver Rácz, who is a highly successful mulatós performer and collaborates for the first time on a contemporary dance performance.

BÁL shows that popular tradition is not just an imprint of the past, but a living heritage and part of contemporary culture that is still evolving today. In an extremely divided society, this performance seeks to create a common platform for the co-existence of contradictions found in everyday life.

‘Mulatós’ is a vibrant genre of popular Hungarian music and dance, traditionally performed at weddings and festive gatherings. BÁL reinterprets this style through the innovative lens of contemporary dance. In the choreography created and performed by Nóra Horváth and Balázs Oláh, traditional male and female roles are deliberately reversed, and the dance only stops when they can no longer breathe, pushing their physical limits. Joined live on stage by experimental electronic musician András Molnár and mulatós singer-keyboardist Olivér Rácz, the piece creates a dynamic dialogue between past and present. In a deeply divided society, this performance seeks a common platform for coexisting contradictions.

BÁL is an energetic and liberating contemporary dance performance that blends the worlds of Hungarian folk and party music with electronic sounds. Familiar melodies, driving rhythms and contemporary movement come together to create a playful, communal and thought-provoking experience.

Nóra Horváth and Balázs Oláh started working together on a research project in January 2021 to explore and document the current dance culture of the Hungarian people. Tirelessly, they strive to find new channels for communication through which they can reach audiences from different social backgrounds. They aim to make contemporary dance, concentrated in Budapest, accessible to rural communities with less access to the arts. They combine social dances of the present, such as urban dance or folk dance, with the dramaturgy of contemporary performance to create a new language. It is important for them to make their art accessible to a wider audience, while reflecting honestly and radically on social issues and problems through raw physicality.

Nóra Horváth is a Budapest-based dance artist, co-founder of Collective Dope, and former member of Compagnie du Hanneton/James Thierrée (2020–2023) and Unusual Symptoms -Theater Bremen (2018–2020).

Balázs Oláh studied at the Hungarian Dance Academy and SEAD in Salzburg. He has worked with The Symptoms, Hodworks, and Máté Mészáros, and is a co-founder of AHA Collective.

Nóra Horváth – dancer / creator

Balázs Oláh – dancer / creator

András Molnár – musician / creator

Oliver Rácz – musician / creator

Kata Dézsi – lighting designer

Csenge Vass – set and costume designer

Panna Makai – assistant

Viktor Szeri – consultant

Rebeka Doszpoth – production manager

This production was realized within the framework of the Staféta

program announced by the Municipality of Budapest.

Supporters: Staféta Program, Trafó House of Contemporary Arts,

National Cultural Fund, SÍN Art Center, Krisztina Téglás

Kritikák:

Revizor interjú

Jurányi Latte

Jurányi Latte publikáció a Színház Online-on

Fuchs Lívia

https://szinhaz.net/2025/02/14/torok-akos-kozonseges-tancok/

Fotók: Szabó R. János

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/1064789247?share=copy