The South Korean Seo Jungbin won the Audience Award of the XII International Monodance Festival, which was held between 22 and 26 April 2026 at the Bethlen Téri Theatre, jointly organized by the Central European Dance Theatre and Pro Progressione. The event was a great success with performances and a high quality supporting programme.
Traditionally awarded on the basis of the votes of the audience, the artist is Under the Book for his solo, which was Mono Shifting as part of an international co-production. Seo Jungbin's work explores the social and historical representation of the female body, combining the tools of ballet, street dance and contemporary dance.
The performance will take place in Seoul in the summer of 2025, at the Monodance Festival's South Korean co-festival, the Monotanz Seoul which was launched in 2019 following the international success of the Budapest event. The two festivals have since worked in close partnership, with South Korea's capital hosting the event in odd-numbered years and Budapest in even-numbered years.
The award-winning work was created in collaboration with Korea Dance Abroad, Pro Progressione and Central Europe Dance Theatre, under the artistic mentorship of László Mádi. A Mono Shifting is a joint international production by three artists - Réka Gyevnár, Seo Jungbin and Jungwoon Jung - that combines the intimacy of solo dance with a collective creative process.
During the five-day programme of the XII International Monodance Festival, the audience could see thirteen monodance performances by artists from several countries. In addition to Korean performers, the programme also featured works by Ukrainian and Central European artists, including Resistance Movement and the Magura / Territory & People, which reflected on the current crises. In addition to an international professional audience, the presentations were also attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Hungary and the Cultural Attaché of Ukraine.
The series of mono-dance performances was opened by Krisztián Gergye's all-art performance. In addition, the Hungarian scene was opened by László Mádi Doctrine and Réka Gyevnár Already, but not yet were represented by the choreographies of.
In conjunction with the festival programme, Korean dance artists held professional workshops at the Korean Cultural Centre, where participants were able to gain direct insight into contemporary Korean dance methodology.
A series of events in the Bridging Academies - showcasing Central European dance universities which featured students from Zagreb, Krakow and the Hungarian University of Dance, showcasing the diversity of the region's emerging generation of dance artists.
Founded in 2005, the biennial festival has once again proven its uniqueness in the Hungarian cultural scene: the twelfth edition of the event series has brought the most outstanding international and Hungarian contemporary dance works to Budapest with great success.
The festival website: www.bethlenszinhaz.hu/monotanc