Press

There are numerous works both in Hungarian and world literature that deal with the
process of becoming a woman in intimate details. This is also the theme of the single
act Snapdragons (“Tátikák”) by Rita Góbi Dance Company.
It is moving to see the simultaneous struggle of this delightful and honest group of
young girls with an immensely humble appearance on stage, struggling with the
impact of maturing on the inner self and with the sternness of the outside world, their
community. If the budding snapdragons of a given time want to shine (an obvious
association for many is the famous chapter “Within a Budding Grove” of the famous
saga by Marcel Proust), they need to overcome their inhibitions, and confront the
rigid expectations of society. They must do so, because only the strong ones will be
able to become a woman and a mother later – this is the call of nature, it would be
pointless to deny it.
It appears that in the choreography Rita Góbi has mixed the processes of becoming
an adult with becoming a professional dancer, which gives authenticity to the play.
The young performers’ dance is mature and professional, without acting or “being
arty”, instead, they are exhibiting their own lives on the stage. The girls are sticking
together, but at the same time their individual identities are shaping; they abide by
external discipline (which is essential in a carrier as a dancer), but given the slightest
opportunity, they will experiment with different forms of self-seeking and self-creating
resistance. For example, they would stick their tongues out to the world, and
suddenly become lovable and impudent “tongue sticking snapdragons”.
Snapdragons is a remarkable performance by a remarkable choreographer, and a
remarkable team. One more personal comment to add here is that while watching the
play I often thought of the film based on the book Abigail by Magda Szabo. Also in
Snapdragons there is a tall, skinny, blond girl I called Torma (I think every generation
will be familiar with the movie after it’s repeated screening on TV).