The word Genesis originates from Ancient Greek, meaning birth, origin, or creation.
We chose this title for the performance because it symbolizes the beginning of a new project.
This is the first time that three of our talented dancers—Fernando Hernández, Kristóf Juhász, and Valerio Zaffalon—are creating their own choreography, involving the entire company of Gradient Contemporary Ballet Debrecen. Through this, they unleash their creativity and reveal different worlds to the audience.
Genezis bears a strong resemblance to the art of choreography itself—everything begins with a spark, an idea that suddenly takes shape and is brought to life through the creator’s craft.
Our dancer-choreographers summarized their intentions for the production in their own words, each giving a title to their piece:
An Intimate Self-Portrait – Fernando Hernández
An Intimate Self-Portrait is an unfiltered exploration of identity, vulnerability, and transformation through movement. It is not just a performance, but a revelation—a raw and honest act of self-offering.
This piece is not about visibility, but about emotional presence. It is a visceral dialogue—an invitation to witness, to engage, and to recognize ourselves in the unfiltered humanity of another.
My Unbridled Horses – Kristóf Juhász
My Unbridled Horses fuses the primal force of Hungarian folk dance with the freedom of contemporary movement. The folk music of the Carpathian Basin provides a pulsing foundation for the dance, drawing from both past and present. The music unleashes something within—a force that floods the body, uncontrollable and, perhaps, not meant to be tamed.
Flesh 1.0 – Valerio Zaffalon
Flesh 1.0 takes place in a post-apocalyptic, grotesque world and marks the beginning of a transformation. It is a journey in which the characters “open up” their own skin to reveal what lies beneath—what is invisible to the eye and too terrifying to be brought to the surface.
Cracking bones, wet and sticky blood, the muscle spasms of a skinless body—these elements form the basis of both the creative process and the movement vocabulary.
These humanoid creatures are trying to adapt to a new reality—one that is deeply uncomfortable and perhaps physically painful. Yet, their desire to survive guides them along a path that could be called evolution, a transition into a new world.
In this anatomical journey, the story can end in one of two ways: in one, the characters desperately try to sew their own skin back on; in the other, they learn to adapt to their newly exposed, raw nature.
