Thousands turned out once again in Heroes’ Square last Saturday (10 June) for the Dancing on the Square performance led by Iván Fischer, where five hundred fabulous young people danced together to the music of the Budapest Festival Orchestra.

The heroes of the day on 10 June were clearly the children who danced in Heroes’ Square before an audience of seven thousand people, performing choreography created for them by Harangozó Award-winner Bertalan Vári, to the live music of the Budapest Festival Orchestra. The young people, both Roma and non-Roma, some from disadvantaged regions and some more fortunate, spent months preparing for this day in 25 different schools around the country. The culmination of the project was their performance as a group, demonstrating what they are capable of – as in previous years, it was a cathartic moment. In addition to the performance itself, the Festival Orchestra organised cultural and community programmes for the children, who will also be able to attend the Dancing on the Square summer camp, hosted by the BFO and the Foundation for Democratic Youth.