The newest dance pieces created for the Hungarian National Ballet include choreographies for the quarantine hit by András Péter Kovács, and the music of Animal Cannibals. Staying Home by Adrienn Vetési and Joyful! by Karina Sarkissova are on stage of the Eiffel Art Studios from 11 October 2020.
Comedian András Péter Kovács a.k.a. KAP has been a leading figure of Hungarian stand-up for a decade. In spring 2020, at the breakout of the COVID-19 epidemic, the popular performer wrote a hit in which he reflected on the dramatic changes of everyday life during the lockdown beside promoting safety regulations and making the quarantine easier to bear. On the largest video sharing site, his song reached almost 2 million views.
It is for this song that Adrienn Vetési created a dance piece for the artists of the Hungarian National Ballet. The a young and talented choreographer has already worked with Inversedance, PR-Evolution Dance Company, TranzDanz and Yvette Bozsik. Since 2017, he has been an instructor for modern dance technique at the Hungarian National Ballet Institute. Her newest piece explores through the points of view of a fitness trainer, a businessman, a mother with many children and a teacher how the new circumstances affected life, and whether the time spent at home has been a blessing or a curse. The premiere cast features Annamaria Voltolini, Dmitry Zhukov, Anita Tiffany Pesel and András Szegő, the second cast features Vera Sabantseva, Noel Ágoston Kovács, Viktória Rohonczi and Federico Berardi. The performance is followed by the stand-cup show entitled Travelling in the Sitting Room by András Péter Kovács.
The second half of the programme is the new piece Joyful! by Karina Sarkissova. The former character principal of the Hungarian National Ballet began creating dance pieces during her years spent at the Wiener Staatsballett in the mid-2000s. Her activity as a choreographer continued at the Hungarian State Opera and Hungarian National Ballet. The choreography originally commissioned by the Opera for the previous season deals with the joy-centred, hedonist joie de vivre inherent in North and South American traditions and with experiencing Christianity. Joyful! is a true cavalcade of musical genres: it is reminiscent of the world of American gospel, but even rap and hip hop play important roles. In addition to the damncers, the stage will also be graced by prominent Hungarian musicians like Orsi Kozma, Gabriella Jónás, Tibes, and the Animal Cannibals. The story starts in the “Angel’s Bar,” where the devil himself serves the drinks. The choices are many: Happiness, Joy, and even Faith can be bought, dissolved in the form of cocktails. The characters can decide whether to buy these drinks or not. The premiere cast features Sofia Ivanova-Skoblikova, Kristina Starostina, Mikalai Radziush, Iurii Kekalo, and Lóránt Magyar, student of the Hungarian National Ballet Institute.
