„That early summer afternoon, the mood was stretched to the breaking point in the crowded auditorium of the Cultural and Sports House in Szombathely. Those who could not find seats tried to find somewhere to stand. Half an hour before the event began, the house was filled to capacity and the auditorium was in mysterious moodlighting. Only the extremely gorgeous decoration of the house and musicians wearing white uniforms could be seen. The whole situation was very similar to the last minutes before a theatre performance: low susurrus in the auditorium while the orchestra was tuning up. Suspense could be felt backstage as well. The office of the manager of the Cultural and Sports House was transformed into a protocol room and the leaders of the town and county Vas, the organisers, gave a warm welcome to the foreign guests and adjudicators, officials, and members of the international jury. Backstage in the corridors, the couples were lining up and they were not speaking Hungarian, but English, as a great many foreign couples were preparing for the competition. Imre Antal, as presenter, trying to release the stress, even told an anecdote to the leader of theorchestra. When István Farkas, a lieutenant-colonel who was the Ministryfor Home Affairs Central Orchestra’s leader, entered the stage and stepped onto the rostra, the lights came on. The luxuriously decorated auditorium could be seen. After the murmur of surprise and astonishment, suddenly silence ensued…

At the sound of a vivid march and the cheer of the audience, the contestants entered the dancefloor. This happened in 1966. It was only in the hopes of the organisers that the Savaria International Dance Festival would once become a series of prominent events.” (Károly Balikó: The first 40 years of the Savaria International DanceFestival.)

The oldest dance competition of the country will be organized 1st June 2019 in the AGORA Cultural and Sportshouse.

We would like to thank to sponsors, the couples, the organisers and last but not least, the dance-loving audience.