The young people who are studying at Széchenyi István University in cooperation with the Győr Ballet have already completed their second year of the dance and rehearsal management programme. Students acquire a high level of theoretical and practical knowledge.

Széchenyi István University serves the region with an ever-expanding portfolio of high quality education, including in the arts. Building on this, and on the internationally recognised dance tradition in Győr, which goes back several decades, the Hungarian University of Dance has launched a Bachelor of Dance and Rehearsal Management in Classical Ballet at the Győr institution. The first class of students started their studies in September 2021, and recently passed the final exams at the end of the second academic year.

Participants of the programme with members of the final examination board 
(Photo: Csaba József Májer)

Dr Katalin Lőrincz, Professor of the Hungarian University of Dance, Chair of the Final Examination Committee, said that there was a definite improvement in the students' progress and development.

"They come to this course from a wide range of backgrounds and with different goals: some of them came after a high school for dance, others are already members of a company, and there are also those who see their future in dance teaching. The instructors provide all of them with a high level of theoretical and practical knowledge, which is a very exciting challenge. The partnership with Széchenyi István University and the professional background made possible by the support of the Győr Ballet is a very important part of the education. I am convinced that having a university-level dance department is a cultural factor in a city," emphasized Dr Lőrincz. 

Zsuzsanna Kara, master teacher of the Széchenyi István University, and hereditary member of the Győr Ballet, emphasized that with the establishment of this course, dance education is now available at all levels, from primary and secondary school to university.

"The students are enthusiastic and have proven over the past two years that they are extremely determined. From choreography to dance history and dance analysis, music history, music theory, cultural history, educational theory, drama pedagogy and various ballet techniques, they learn a wide range of subjects, which gives them a practical knowledge that can be put to good use. The teachers are provided by the Hungarian University of Dance, Széchenyi István University’s Faculty of Performance Arts and the Apáczai Csere János Faculty of Pedagogy, Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Győr Ballet not only provides the practice venue but also professional support," Ms Kara stressed.

The programme is three years long, so the current class will graduate in a year. Every three years, the Hungarian University of Dance launches the outsourced course at Széchenyi István University, the next one being next September. Applications will be accepted via the felvi.hu system until mid-February 2024.

The students have improved a lot during the two years of education (Photo by Csaba József Májer)