János Kiss, recipient of the Kossuth Prize (the highest state award for cultural and artistic achievement in Hungary), ballet artist, choreographer, Artist of Merit (Érdemes művész [a Hungarian state title awarded for significant contributions to the arts]), is one of the creators, founding members and long-serving directors of the Győr Ballet, which celebrated its 40th anniversary recently. The company of the Győr Ballet represents a milestone both in Hungarian dance art and in the cultural history of the city of Győr. How did János Kiss’s career begin?
János Kiss’s life became intertwined with dance at the age of five, when he first appeared on stage. His sister attended a folk-dance club, and through her he received his first invitation to perform, playing the role of a little shepherd boy in a wide-brimmed hat. Although he did not dance in that performance – he merely appeared on stage – this was his first impetus and first experience of success in a theatrical setting. Classical, professional ballet training begins in childhood, meaning that it is usually the mothers who take their children to auditions. This was the case for him as well. His father had intended him to become an athlete, while his mother suggested that he try dancing. Thus, he applied to the Állami Balettintézet (State Ballet Institute, today part of the Hungarian Dance University), which was at that time holding auditions for children. He was nine years old when he applied for the training programme. Despite the intense competition, he was only rejected at the final round. Hedvig Hidas, the director of the Institute at the time, wrote to him a few months later, advising him not to give up on dance and to apply to the private school of Imre Dózsa and Vera Szumrák [prominent Hungarian ballet dancers and teachers]. He followed this advice, and thus came to meet Imre Dózsa, a young star dancer at the time, who became his first ballet master. The following year, he was admitted to the Ballet Institute, where he continued his studies. His class’s lead teacher was ballet master György Lőrincz, and the group was so cohesive that they decided to stay together even after graduation. Thus, at the age of ten he began his studies at the Ballet Institute, and at nineteen he graduated from there. All fourteen members of his class shared the same goal: to remain together.
The idea for what would later become the Győr Ballet originated with their teacher György Lőrincz, who was also the legendary ballet director of the Hungarian State Opera. It was through him that the great works of the international ballet repertoire were brought to Hungary, for at that time the Opera’s repertoire was dominated by Russian classics, apart from the occasional work by László Seregi [Hungarian choreographer] or Gyula Harangozó [Hungarian choreographer and ballet director]. Works by George Balanchine began to appear, and it was also György Lőrincz who brought a Maurice Béjart evening to Hungary – a decisive influence on the lives of János Kiss and the company. Béjart’s choreography made a profound impression on the dancers.
It was in 1976 that they first saw Iván Markó [Hungarian ballet dancer and choreographer] perform in Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird, and they immediately invited him to a discussion about the piece, which they were eager to turn into reality. The work held symbolic meaning for the class: in the ballet, a revolution is being prepared, but everyone perishes except for one – the Firebird – who carries the revolution forward. That conversation itself became revolutionary, as the students confided to Iván Markó that they too wanted to dance in that way and follow that style. At the time, Markó was a member of Maurice Béjart’s company in Brussels, but after one of his guest performances in Hungary, they approached him to say that their graduating class wished to stay together and asked him to become their leader – their Firebird. They received special permission for Iván Markó to choreograph their graduation performance. This marked Markó’s debut as a choreographer. In June 1979, at this graduation performance, Markó premiered his first work, A nap szerettei (lit. The Sun’s Beloved Ones), created for the graduating class to the music of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana.
A crucial factor that aided their endeavour was the establishment of the Kisfaludy Theatre in Győr that same year. Its opening took place in 1978, and they learned about this from the father of their fellow student Éva Greiner, who was born in Győr. As a result, their graduating class approached the newly founded theatre with the proposal that they would gladly establish a ballet company there. Even the manner of their application was rather unusual. The regular meetings of art universities and colleges in Szentendre [a well-known artists’ town near Budapest] provided a fruitful meeting point. There, they explained to Imre Pozsgai [then recently appointed Minister of Culture] that their class wished to remain together. Imre Pozsgai received the spokesmen of the class, János Kiss and György Krámer, and assured them of his support.
The secretary-general of the Magyar Táncművészek Szövetsége (lit. Association of Hungarian Dance Artists), however, expressed in his opinion that there was no need to establish a ballet company in Győr, as the city was primarily an industrial centre with no traditions of dance. Moreover, the young applicants were still at the beginning of their careers, so it was impossible to foresee whether they were truly talented or would prove themselves in the profession, and Iván Markó had not yet created any original works – therefore, there was no guarantee that a viable ballet company could be founded in Győr. János Kiss, however, already felt that all these objections could easily be refuted.
It was true that there was one further obstacle: according to tradition, two graduating students were nominated for a scholarship in Moscow – in this case, Melinda Király and János Kiss – but they both declined the opportunity because of their future plans in Győr. Although such a decision was almost unthinkable within the cultural policy environment of the time, János Kiss nevertheless believed that their future could begin in Győr.
From 1 August 1979, they were officially contracted to the Kisfaludy Theatre in Győr, and it was then that they began rehearsals for their first performance.
The premiere took place on 2 November 1979, marking the beginning of the now world-renowned Győr Ballet. Initially operating as a division within the theatre, the company’s first director was Iván Markó. Three or four years later, however, the ensemble resigned collectively, as they wished to establish an independent ballet institution – a self-governing company with its own budget, separate from the theatre. They even left Győr for a short time and, with the assistance of Ferenc Novák [Hungarian choreographer and folk dance director], began rehearsals in Budapest at the Bihari János Folk Dance Ensemble. Eventually, they succeeded in securing the company’s independence – a development due in no small part to János Kiss’s persistence. Markó continued to lead the company, now as an independent director.
In 1991, however, Iván Markó left the ensemble, withdrew the performance rights to his works, and the company members pledged never to comment publicly on the reasons behind his departure. In that same year, the Győr Ballet was reborn. In a secret ballot, the company elected János Kiss as its new director, a decision ratified by the county council (then the company’s official governing body). One of his key aims became the revival of ballet training.
Miklós Blankenstein, acting on behalf of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, approached János Kiss, Ottó Demcsák (Hungarian dancer and choreographer) and Tamás Tárnoki [Hungarian dancer and choreographer], asking them to create the choreography for a papal visit piece originally commissioned from Iván Markó. Thus, alongside establishing a new training structure, János Kiss now focused on preparing for the Pope’s visit to Hungary. The Győr Ballet had to be rebuilt from scratch – a task that now rested on the shoulders of its new director.
Following The Caucasian Chalk Circle, János Kiss’s second choreography, Szent Margit legenda (lit. The Legend of Saint Margaret), was created – a production seen by 55,000 people, among them a great many young spectators. The ballet was choreographed collaboratively by Barbara Bombicz, Erika Horváth, Ottó Demcsák and János Kiss. The highly successful performance captivated even the Holy Father, and the company continued its work with the blessing of Pope John Paul II.
The papal blessing gave renewed impetus to János Kiss’s work as director. In 1991, he began to build a new repertoire, presenting at least two premieres every year. Retaining the form of dance theatre, he initiated a process of workshop-based creative development and sought new artistic collaborators. In addition to choreographers Barbara Bombicz, Ottó Demcsák and William Fomin, he invited a number of internationally renowned guest artists – including Libor Vaculík, Robert North, Marie Brolin-Tani, Günter Pick, Robert Cohan, Alexander Schneider-Rossmy, Christopher Bruce, and later Ben Van Cauwenbergh, Gyula Harangozó Jr. and Youri Vámos. These guest choreographers enriched the company’s repertoire with numerous new works.
Alongside its artistic activity, the Győr Ballet places great emphasis on professional communication and on presenting the values created within the ballet studios: each year, it takes on the organisation of Hungary’s largest dance event. The Magyar Táncfesztivál (Hungarian Dance Festival), a week-long series of performances, provides an opportunity for representatives of the Hungarian dance profession to showcase their work. At the same time, by inviting foreign companies, it also offers both audiences and artists an insight into various genres of dance – from folk dance and contemporary dance to the world of ballet.
Until 2015, János Kiss held the positions of both director and artistic director. That year, he invited László Velekei [awarded Hungarian choreographer] to support the work of the Győr Ballet as artistic director. Kiss’s mandate as director runs until July 2020, at which point – according to his plans – he will hand over the position to László Velekei.
János Kiss considers himself more of a dancer than a choreographer. He believes that the creation and cohesion of a company is itself an act of creation. He has two families: alongside his own, the Győr Ballet is his larger family – a role that also involves the responsibilities of a patriarch. The company’s role within Hungarian culture is of great significance, and its continuous existence over forty years is itself an outstanding achievement. János Kiss believes that participation in both national and international competitions is crucial to maintaining high-quality culture. At the same time, artists must remain aware that nothing is more fleeting than success. One must work for success, exerting enormous effort every single day – yet this, perhaps, is the most demanding and the most beautiful task of all.
In Kiss’s view, every Hungarian should be proud of the Hungarian Academy of Arts, since through this institution the Hungarian state offers a level of protection to its artists that is a rarity even in Europe. He delivered his induction speech as a member in May 2018, and he believes that membership of the Academy carries a profound responsibility. He is a corresponding member of the Section of Theatre Arts, but in the spirit of interdisciplinarity he also contributes in an advisory capacity to the work of the Section of Folk Art. Through this activity, he returns on the one hand to his roots – the folk dance years of his childhood – and on the other, he highlights the fact that Hungarian contemporary dance is closely connected to folk traditions, drawing from and building upon them.
Ballet artist János Kiss firmly believes that, in defending and honouring Hungarian culture, the responsibility and knowledge of the academicians can lay the foundations for a secure future.
[2019]