Between April 22 and 26, 2026, Central Europe Dance Theatre and Bethlen Square Theater will co-host the International Monodance Festival in Budapest for the twelfth time. The event, which has been a unique cultural highlight in Hungary since 2005, will once again bring the most outstanding works and creators of contemporary dance to Budapest.
The biennial festival’s program always selects from dance productions created in recent years. The genre of monodance, modeled after monodramas, encapsulates personal confessions that focus on individual destinies and the inner worlds of the creators. Following the international success of the festival, the Monotanz Seoul festival was launched in 2019; since then, the South Korean capital hosts the event in odd years, while Budapest serves as the venue in even years.
A key pillar of this year’s program is the reflection of Ukrainian and Central European creators on current crises. Within the framework of the dancEUA Creative Europe project, the audience can see productions such as the documentary solo Resistance Movement by Maciej Kuźmiński and Daria Koval, or the performance Magura / Territory & People by Alina Sokulska and Maria Plotnikova, which explore the issues of wartime experiences and bodily memory.
On the opening day of the festival, Krisztián Gergye will present his multi-art performance related to the Barcsay 125 memorial year, paying tribute to the oeuvre of the renowned painter. The Hungarian line-up is also strengthened by László Mádi’s choreography titled Doctrine, which, as part of Central Europe Dance Theatre’s K-Faces series, explores the secrets of the performer’s personality and inner world.
The international palette is enriched by performances from South Korean, Austrian, and Croatian artists. Among the South Korean guest performances, the triple solo Mono Shifting, created through international collaboration, will be shown, as well as Lee Seung Ju’s piece I tilt, which transforms the creator’s military memories from the Korean Demilitarized Zone into the language of dance.
The festival’s side programs offer a variety of experiences again this year: Gábor Dusa’s photo exhibition REHEARSAL/SPACE 2? in the cafe of the Bethlen Square Theatre, and the Monotanz Seoul fence exhibition in front of the theatre. The productions will be followed by artist talks every evening, moderated by dancer and university professor Katalin Lőrinc, among others.
Special attention is given to the Bridging Academies program, realized within the framework of the Beyond Front@: Bridging Periphery international project, during which students from Central European dance universities will present their performances. As a side event of the festival, Korean performers will hold professional workshops at the Korean Cultural Center.
Date: April 22–26, 2026
Venue: Bethlen Square Theater (1071 Budapest, Bethlen Gábor tér 3.)
Detailed program: www.bethlenszinhaz.hu/monotanc
