A Szel kapuja / The Wind Gate, Artus – Goda Gábor Társulata

Nemzeti Tancszinhaz / National Dance Theatre

Watching The Wind Gate was like being in a dream: tall lofty figures in hats, twin gatekeepers in a perfect bamboo forest, a strange man in a box, the use of stage props and symbols that never quite made sense. A dream in which everything is symmetrical and harmonious and in which beautiful moments keep occurring, but nothing ever happens. It seemed that the piece was seeking to create an illusion that would be so mesmerising that we would temporarily forget our reality – an arguably political act, although when asked to introduce the work, artistic director Goda Gábor said that this piece was not meant to be political. So with politics ‘out the window’ or ‘blown out the gate’, if I may, the work was somewhat lost in its own isolated, padded universe, which seemed entirely geared towards creating floaty images and enjoying the luxury of the venue’s comprehensive stage machinery. Meanwhile the outside world continues to crumble.

Work in progress showing by Réka Szabó / The Symptoms

Workshop Foundation, Budapest

Much more grounded in reality was the work-in-progress sharing we witnessed at the Workshop Foundation cultural centre. Choreographer Réka Szabó’s new project engages a group of young dancers and people with disabilities in a joint improvisation practice. From timidly waving and seeking each other out in gentle trepidation to throwing pillows across the room and dancing wildly to their favourite tunes, the joyful group found a sense of collectivity in their oddness. It was touching to see how they supported each other in ‘spotlight’ moments, especially after having heard Szabo’s inspiring presentation earlier that day, where she positioned her career and personal story in parallel with political developments in Hungary, and revealed that as an artist working on the fringes, she had never stopped struggling to make the kind of art she wanted to make. Once again, with this new project she is reinventing her tools and making use of available resources. This is tangible in the warmth and generosity with which her performers opened themselves to each other. They showed us that even – or especially – in urgent times, we can acknowledge the complexity of co-existence while also engaging with the simple joys of human connection.