A special program series, Minnesota Remembers commemorated the 60th Anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 with Hungarian film screenings, folk music and dance events in the Twin Cities (St.Paul and Minneapolis).
Programs included the visit of the Enyedi & Salamon Quartet – with the participation of Ágnes Enyedi, Soma Salamon, Ferenc Zimber and Attila Mihó – and their accompanying dancers, Réka Bures and István Berecz. The Enyedi and Salamon Quartet presented numerous folk musical and dance events featuring workshops led by the artists. Beside the high quality concert they provided, the artists also held a “Táncház”, during which they taught folk dances to both children and adults. The artists’ presence was a great gift to the Hungarian and American communities along with the music and dances they brought from Hungary.
The other important pillar of the program series was the presentation of the movie “Szabadság szerelem” that speaks about the events of October and November 1956. The first screening was organized for students of the St. Thomas University who study the history of Central and Eastern Europe. The second screening was organized in partnership with The Film Society Minneapolis-St Paul as part of the Cine Global film screenings on October 20th, targeting the local population at large. The trailer of the newly released “Memory Project 1956/2016” by Réka Pigniczky and Andrea Lauer Rice was also shown before the movie.
We were overwhelmed by the high number of the interested people who came and watched the movie with us. – Times Takács
The event attracted about 150 people of both American and Hungarian origins. Following the screening, the guests had the chance to meet and talk to some of the ’56-ers living in Minnesota and to discuss the events of the revolution with them and each other. The memorial exhibition about 1956 contributed a great deal to creating the proper commemorative atmosphere.
