Valley of Arts – 1000 programs from craft fairs to theatre performances

By: Dora Gyarmathy

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The biggest cultural event series of the region Lake Balaton starts 29th July. 10 days, 3500 artists, 47 locations and 70 exhibitions – these are the numbers of the 17^th Valley of Arts festival.

The Valley is in fact a micro region 140 kms from Budapest and the different programs (exhibitions, concerts, theatre and dance performances, craft fairs) are linked to certain villages: Kapolcs, Taliandorogd, Vigantpetend, Monostorapati and Pula. In the recent years certain towns were the guests of honor in the Valley but in 2005 these are the cultural productions of the ethnic Hungarian ensembles from around Hungary. Hungarian artists from Romania, Ukraine, Yugoslavia and Slovakia were invited to the Valley to show their art.

The fascination of the Valley of Arts is the colourful program. In addition to performances of the theatres around Hungary, one of the most popular theatre in Budapest, the Barka Theatre settles to Pula for 10 days. E. g. their program includes concert of the band Besh o droM (playing the music of the Balkan) or Iva Bittova, the Czech jazz singer. Among the exhibitions there are displays of photographers, ceramists, sculptors and painters. Potters, seamstresses, fullers can help the visitors to get to know the folk art.

Green of Arts – this is the title of the environmental program of the Valley. 10 Hungarian national parks are demonstrated during the 10 days and thematic valley excursions start introducing the geology, animal and plant life of the region.

Children games and puppet theatre entertain the youngest visitors. Most of the literature programs are connected to the poetry and life of Attila Jozsef, one of the most known Hungarian poets who was born 100 years ago but contemporary writers have meetings with the audience as well.

Among the music programs there are several jazz concerts (including the concerts of the Polish bass guitar player, Krzystof Scieranski, the Tony Lakatos Quartet, the Borbely Muhely and Laszlo Des), classical, old and religious music festivals are organized in the churches of the 5 villages, the world music program offers the concert of the percussion band, Amadinda and several pop, rock and alternative bands get opportunity to play during the festival.

 

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