The 9 April regional meeting in Salgótarján was unique for a number of reasons. This was the first occasion for groups of local preschool children, as well as the kids from the Dancing on the Square project, to see the Festival Orchestra’s Music Castle programme. The concert had the pre-schoolers laughing aloud. Squabbling instruments, a wedding, love – and, at the end, a standing ovation. A day when even the cats were listening to classical music!

The other major event that day was the visit by teams arriving in Salgótarján to Salgó Castle, offering breath-taking panoramas. The outing was made possible by Erzsi Virágos, a driver in the local community, and her volunteers. They were joined by Festival Orchestra violinist Antónia Bodó, who is participating in the Dancing on the Square project as an ambassador.

The programme would not have been complete without a dance rehearsal and group playtime. In addition to head choreographer Berci Vári and Rita Galambos, director of the Foundation for Democratic Youth, we were given a special hand by another ambassador of the project, Prezi co-founder Péter Halácsy, who gave the kids a bit of a workout. János Lackfi’s Dancing on the Square rap once again proved a central element, and we are looking forward to groups’ submissions of their own rap covers! Click here for further details.

The following schools participated in the meeting: the Dormitory of the Salgótarján Primary School, the COGITO Dr Géza Krepuska Primary School, the Ferenc Rákóczi II Primary School and Secondary School, the Szigethalom István Széchenyi Primary School, the Blessed Gertrude Centre, the Budapest District 9 Ferenc Molnár Bilingual Primary School, the You Have a Place Foundation, and the Mátyás Hunyadi Primary School and Basic-Level Artistic School.

Alongside the children, the heroes of the programme were the teachers working with them each week to bring together the dance production with the Festival Orchestra for 17 June. Our helpers on this occasion were: Amarilla Juhász, Szabolcs Kéri, Bernadett Takács, Zsolt Dénes, Krisztina Varga, Dóra Kovács and Benjámin Losonczi. We are grateful to all of them!

And now, the day in pictures: