AIC started the beginning of academic year 2023-24 with a surprisingly wonderful cultural program, a unique and one-of-a-kind folk dance play performed by the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble and the Honvéd Férfikar in MÜPA.The lucky 21 students who were involved in the event were from grade 9 accompanied by the Italian Erasmus students, and met in front of the theater on 20. October.
They could see the 75 mins strange story of a woman punished to death for her infidelity, this old-style ballad of cruel beauty, perhaps the most mysterious and deepest human emotions in our folk poetry, ending in a fatal tragedy. The theme which is especially interesting for a teenager is about the eruption of an overwhelming love, followed by burning passion, and finally infidelity and jealousy, the eternal conflict between man and woman, unfolded before our eyes through the language of dance.
The astonishingly effective way in which the last scene was expressed caused audible consternation among our students, obviously leaving a deep impression on their souls and prompting further reflection and conversation.
Hungarian Version
Az AIC egy meglepően csodálatos kulturális programmal, a Magyar Nemzeti Táncegyüttes és a Honvéd Férfikar egyedi és egyedülálló néptánc játékával indította a 2023-24-es tanév kezdetét a MÜPA-ban.
A szerencsés 21 diák, aki részt vett a rendezvényen, a 9. évfolyamból jöttek a 11.-es olasz Erasmus diákok kíséretében. Mindannyian a színház előtt találkoztak október 20-án.
A 75 perces különös történet egy hűtlensége miatt halálra büntetett asszonyról szól. A régi stílusú ballada a kegyetlen szépségről, népköltészetünk talán legtitokzatosabb és legmélyebb emberi érzelmeiről beszél néptáncos formában, mely végzetes tragédiával végződik. A tizenévesek számára különösen érdekes téma a mindent elsöprő szerelem kitöréséről, majd a lángoló szenvedélyről, végül a hűtlenségről és féltékenységről, a férfi és nő örök konfliktusáról szól, a tánc nyelvén bontakozik ki a szemünk előtt.
Az utolsó jelenet megdöbbentően hatásos és kifejező módja diákjaink hallható megdöbbenését okozta, mely nyílvánvalóan mély nyomokat hagyott a lelkekben és tovább gondolkodásra, valamint beszélgetésre késztetett.
On Wednesday we had the chance to attend a performance of Hungarian National Dance Ensemble. The plot, about love and adultery, was told through dance, which was very engaging and expressive; the moves made by the dancers, but also the music that was played, represented perfectly the emotions that the characters were experiencing, making the audience understand what was actually happening on the scene. There were a lot of symbolic scenes which contained many meanings and were interpreted brilliantly. Furthermore, this performance could help people from different countries learn more about Hungarian culture, about its origins and its features.
One of my favorite parts was the scene during which the woman and her beloved danced in a field full of flowers; the dance movements matched the music, the scenery, and the feelings that the characters had towards each other: you could tell that the lady really loved him, and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.
VivianeWednesday night I watched a very interesting play at Müpa, the beautiful theater in the sixth district of Budapest. The play was about a complicated love story. I found it very entertaining and I enjoyed it all, in particular the role of music in it. Music was in fact used to give movement to the scenes, and it represented the feelings of the characters perfectly during the story. I loved it the most when they danced through the scenes making the audience feel part of the play. I would recommend it to everyone, especially for foreigners like me that want to understand more about the unique culture of Hungary.
Thank you for AIC taking me to see such a unique play.
SaraThe performance by the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble at MÜPA last night was truly engaging. The story they conveyed was fascinating, and the music and choreography created a truly evocative atmosphere. Every movement seemed laden with meaning, conveying deep emotions. It was an evening of extraordinary talent and creativity that will stay etched in my memory for a long time.
AyaTHE UNFAITHFUL WIFE
Yesterday night, me and my dear fellow colleagues had the honor to be spectators of the original Hungarian play, The unfaithful wife, which took place at the amazing MÜPA theater. The location, gently kissed by the sunset, was shining under our eyes while hiding what would bewitch us for the next hour and a half. As soon as we took our seats and the lights were switched off, it took a second to hear the violins play and for the big red curtain to open. The first thing we saw was this man in the woods with just the music to keep him company, then he started dancing. All of a sudden, a group of ladies and men interrupted him with their marriage celebrations: the richness of the costumes and the dancer’s movements evoked in me a sense of beauty for this country; on the scene everyone was dancing, except for the two lovers, the main characters of this sad story. I think this magnificent drama represents the perfect resume of what love has to fight against: oppositors and forcing, and sometimes it has to deal with the powerful fire of hate.
AriannaI personally found the show very intriguing: as a foreigner who does not speak Hungarian, I really had to concentrate on the music and the movements of the dancers to be able to follow the storyline. I am happy to say that their performance was brilliant.
One could clearly see from the start that something was wrong with the relationship between the groom and the bride: her discomfort, his impatient behavior, the contrast between the protagonists and the other happy couples… It was spectacular.
I also appreciated how the directors used a cyclical type of story progression (the arguments and the fights between husband and wife, followed by the other couples happily dancing together season after season) without ever making it boring: it was truly an achievement!
If I must choose a favorite moment, it has got to be the final dance portraying the wife’s trial for adultery: I was shocked by the sudden change in colors (which went from light, serene ones to a dark and ominous red) and the tension only kept growing thanks to the wonderful chorus in the background.
Everyone gave it their absolute all, and it was a beautiful experience that I would truly recommend to anyone!
PerlaI personally really liked to see the Unfaithful wife at Müpa.
The first thing I noticed is that the view outside was very nice.People were nicely dressed and attractive.The performance was a bit weird at first because there was no talking but only folk dance, but in the end I enjoyed it. It was educational because we had an insight into the Hungarian folk dances.You could learn how differently the ancient Hungarians danced from other cultures.The whole thing was just so good I would recommend it to people who are interested in different cultures and cultural dances.The price was also reasonable in my opinion. AIC was so kind to buy them for us.The dancers were really talented, they had amazing energy, every step was on point which was impressive. What I also liked was that MÜPA ia in the heart of the city, easy to reach and there are places to get food or anything else nearby.There was a buffet inside too.
To sum up I would say the performance was brilliant and educational and at the same time you could learn a lot about different cultures while being entertained.
I would recommend seeing this drama delivered by the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble to everyone.
OmairI think the ‘Unfaithful wife’ performed in MÜPA was a very nicely delivered and interesting play. The one and a half hours long play was unique for me because the artists did not talk, but ‘told the story’ via dancing Hungarian folk dance.They were dancing and singing only. Even though the plot was easy to understand. It was about a couple getting married. One of the sad moments of the drama was when the daughter said her final farewell to her beloved parents.It was a very big ceremony everyone was singing and dancing. Each actor did a great job in performing this typical ancient story full of emotion.
We went to MÜPA last Wednesday to watch a drama performed by the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble. I just started learning Hungarian, so I could not understand the lyrics and their meanings. But from their body language and the emotions in their songs, I think I could still understand that this was a touching love story.
The meaning of the beautiful love song, which was about flowers and birds … representing spring in the play, was told by our music teacher, Ms.Timea who sang it to us previously in the class. Unfortunately, the couple who loved each other couldn’t get married.
I liked the folk dance in this drama very much. It is like exchanging the support of both feet and then rowing the other leg backwards. It looked beautiful and powerful. When doing this, the dancers on the stage seemed to have no gravity, giving me a feeling of flying.
Generally speaking, I liked this drama very much. Both the story and the actors were excellent, which makes me feel lucky to have had this experience.
In my opinion ‘Unfaithful wife’ was quite a unique form of Hungarian folk dance.
I really liked it because it showed what Hungarian people used to dance like.
The dancers introduced how Hungarian folk dancing is different from other countries. For me it is so different because I have never seen such a performance before.
The clothing is so unique and beautiful. Regarding the music there were a few songs that I already knew from our music teacher.
I didn’t like it because I couldn’t really understand what was happening. It’s true that I am not into musicals but that wasn’t that bad at all.
I am really thankful to Mrs. Beres and Mrs. Katalin for organizing this cultural event for us, that I would recommend for people who like music and drama and like to dig into cultural things.
After the music teacher gave us a glance about the show just in front of MÜPA, we went inside, where we could see a beautiful drama performed by the Hungarian National dance Ensemble. In my opinion a visit to Mupa was really fascinating because it was the first cultural occasion I took part in at the school. Besides, it was a great opportunity to know more about Hungarian folklore, which is an amazing heritage.
In the end I would like to thank you (Miss Katalin, the cultural program manager) for providing us this amazing experience.
It was the first time for me to be in the very elegant and luxurious theater, MÜPA, where the audience and the ushers were really polite people.
I had never seen traditional Hungarian dance before. I think folk dances reflect the traditional life of the people of a certain country or region. It is a kind of ethnic dance.
The performance told about an advantageous marriage forced by the bride’s parents who just wanted her to be a wife of a wealthy family, while her sweetheart had to go into the army to protect her country.
It was the most impressive performance I have ever seen in my life. It made me very excited and gave me a lesson about how love can win if you have enough patience and trust .
I hope I will learn more about other wonderful cultures in AIC that will improve my knowledge in the future.
I want to say thank you to the AIC organizers for this interesting cultural event. I am so thankful because I could get an insight into Hungarian culture.
Last week the folk dance performance at MÜPA was great.
Despite being Hungarian, I have never seen such a folk dance performance like that.
Besides, it was nice to meet my classmates outside of school.
The performance of the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble at MUPA last Wednesday was great, and I genuinely enjoyed it. Although the music was a bit too loud, the dancing was captivating. I believe such cultural events should be more frequent to broaden our knowledge of music and arts. Everyone was elegantly dressed and well-behaved, which was wonderful. Personally, I love traditional Hungarian music and folk dancing, and this experience was a visual treasure. Thank you for AIC organizing it.
I believe the Italian Erasmus students were genuinely impressed by this performance, as they had never witnessed such a remarkable display of traditional culture and artistic passion before.