The professional company of Sfântu Gheorghe, which has been operating for 34 years, will continue its activities as Háromszék Dance Theatre, a name change approved by the Covasna County Council - the institution's sustainer - at its last council meeting. The company continues to represent the folk music and folk dance tradition of the Carpathian Basin at a high level.
The Háromszék Dance Ensemble was founded in 1990 in Sfântu Gheorghe. Until 1999 it was a professional folk dance ensemble operating from the state budget, then for ten years (1999-2008) it belonged to the city mayor's office. The last time the company changed its name was in 2000, when it was transformed from Háromszék State Folk Ensemble into Háromszék Dance Ensemble. The objective of the company is to collect, preserve and transmit the folk music and folk dance culture of the Carpathian Basin ethnic groups.
The name Háromszék Dance Theatre faithfully reflects the company's profile, because in addition to folklore shows, its repertoire includes new dance theatre performances every season, which testify to the progressive approach of the company's founder Árpád Könczei and its director for 30 years, Gyula Levente Deák: to pass on tradition by creating new, individual forms, to put it into a new context in the language of theatre.
By discovering the dramatic potential of certain folk customs, rituals or even regionally relevant historical events, we have created such performances as Vérnász, Váróterem, Ábel, Csávási ballada, Böjttől böjttig, A banda, Száz évig, Tékozló fiú, Gábor Áron, Erdély-menyegző, Mundruc, Tiszta or Átöltözés. Endre Virág emphasised that recent productions have crowned this process: the Tragedy, based on the work of Imre Madách, or Ecce Homo, a work on the paintings of Mihály Munkácsy, are, so to speak, current examples of this ars poetica. Deputy director Noémi Sipos added that their new name also testifies to the fact that the company has now "paved" the new paths and "dance paths" it has broken itself and is confidently moving forward, constantly seeking freshness in tradition.
Director Endre Virág highlighted that the name change could open up new financial resources: in addition to the new opportunities for tenders, the county municipality could benefit from the "cultural fund" created from 2% of personal income tax, which will be used to support municipalities that maintain their own theatres, operas and philharmonic halls.
The Háromszék Dance Theatre has now also included the education of young people in its activities. In addition to the name change, the County Council has also approved the inclusion of the "Százlábú" Children's Folk Dance Ensemble under the auspices of the dance theatre. Founded by Endre Virág and Imola Virág in 2006, the "Százlábú" Folk Dance Ensemble has become a veritable youth movement in Sfântu Gheorghe. The leaders of the ensemble engage 140 children in three age groups every week, using folk dance to strengthen the experience of belonging to a community and offer young people a valuable form of entertainment. All the while, they educate a culture-consuming and understanding audience.
