For many years, Hungary’s National Dance Theater operated inside the historic Castle District building of the old Carmelite monastery near the Royal Palace; however, as Hungary’s government recently decided to establish the Prime Minister’s office in this location, the Dance Theater has been forced to find temporary venues to host their performances for several months now. After staging shows at the MOM Cultural Center, Várkert Bazaar, and the Palace of Arts, in the spring of 2018 they will finally get a new permanent home at the Buda side’s Millenáris Park. The multifunctional dance hall – made according to the plans of the Zoboki and Demeter Architect Studio – will be a cultural, scientific, and touristic complex in one.
The 16-year-old National Dance Theater works with nearly 40 ensembles annually, and presented more than 6,000 performances in the Hungarian capital since its founding. In the new complex, a main stage will provide a venue for more significant dance shows, while a smaller hall will house performances of experimental ensembles. The new building will open its gates in 2018 with the Budapest Dance Festival, and will await enthusiastic audiences with performances of Hungarian dance companies, international guest troupes, the Hungarian National Ballet, the orchestra of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, as well as many other productions and gala events in the future. Below we present some of the visual plans, along with photos from the recent demolition of the building that stood where the new National Dance Theater will be:
