Adrienn Hód
Adrienn Hód is an internationally acclaimed choreographer, specialising in contemporary dance and experimental movement. Her permanent company is HODWORKS, of which she has been artistic and production director since 2007. In addition to her work with the company, she also choreographs for other Hungarian and international collaborations. She is also an applied choreographer for theatre productions, films and commercials. In addition to her creative work, she regularly teaches on both Hungarian and international platforms, where she works with improvisational tools, often related to HODWORKS performances.
Her work is focused on the human physique in motion, stripped of taboos and prejudices, removed from its cultural context. In the rehearsal space, she creates sensitive situations that give the dancers a safe space and trust to experience free physicality. She sees the dancers, musicians and other close collaborators all as creative partners, able to share their own stories, interests and personal responses to the subject matter with confidence.
The finished pieces are at the intersection of contemporary dance, theatre and performance. Although improvisation is given a lot of space in the creative process, the choreographies on stage are presented in a strictly structured form. The performances bypass clichés and address taboos that limit us on a social level in suprising ways. The boundaries of the stage space are also disrupted, the auditorium is consciously used in all performances, and the audience is invited to close, intense attention. On stage, the focus is always on the performers’ bodies, with minimal costume, often completely naked. Great emphasis is placed on sound design and lighting, which help powerfully to create the right situation that encourages deep immersion.
For Hód the stage is a playground, where signs are freed from their predetermined meanings. Her pieces always reach new dance forms and dramaturgical principles, again and again, boldly exploring beyond the possibilities of contemporary dance. Hód emphasises the complexity and radicalism of personal expression, laying bare the multilayered constructs of identity.
1975
Adrienn Hód was born on 7 April 1975 in Debrecen, Hungary.
STUDIES
1984-1993
Studies: ballet (Viola Nagyné Sárközi, Judit Nagy), Jazz and Standard- Latin dance, modern dance (Ibolya Holb, Tánc-Játék Stúdió, Debrecen)
1993-1997
Budapest Dance School
2006-2014
Budapest Academy of Contemporary Dance – Pedagogy BA
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
1995
Founds the OFF Company.
Her early works were partly presented at the Inspiration choreographic evenings of the Workshop Foundation.
Her first choreographic work was Icka at the Szkéné Theatre.
In the following years, she has choreographed around 75 site-specific and theatrical dance performances. For example:
1996 Rocket (MU Theatre)
1997 Rising (MU Theatre)
1999 Urban Air (outdoor), Hundred Head Audience (MU Theatre)
2000 Requiem (Kiscelli Museum)
2001 Comic (Trafó House of Contemporary Arts)
2002 Arboretum (Kiscelli Museum)
2003 Titi táji táncok (MU Theatre)
2006 Nest (MU Theatre), Concrete lotus (Müpa Budapest)
2002
The OFF Foundation is established to support progressive performing artists and performers, with a special focus on the work of Adrienn Hód in this field.
2003
She presents the solo Domi, featuring Tamás Bakó, winning best dancer and best choreographer at the International Solo Dance Theatre Competition in Stuttgart.
2007
She presents Where are the shepherds? and I am Thirsty at Trafó and Next Step at the Refectory of the National Dance Theatre.
She founds the HODWORKS company.
She is a fellow of the Workshop Foundation’s Research of the Unknown programme, during which she creates Let’s Connect and Roar, which is performed at the MU Theatre.
2008
Participant in the Meeting Points Hungarian-American Art Program in New York.
HODWORKS presents What to do with our bodies at the MU Theatre.
2009
HODWORKS presents Suprahits.
2010
HODWORKS presents The Life of Nymphs (Polish Institute) and Everyday Routine Parts 1 – 6 (Gödör Club).
Fellow of the Trust for Mutual Understanding.
Invited to the Focus Switzerland Festival workshop.
2011
Tempus Foundation Fellow at Tanzfabrik Berlin.
HODWORKS presents Basse danse at MU Theatre, co-produced with Grand Theatre Groningen.
Basse danse wins the Lábán Rudolf Prize and is invited to the Aerowaves programme selection as one of the 20 most outstanding contemporary dance performances of the year.
2012
Participant in the EU project Jardin d’Europe with As my father imagined it.
Co-production: Centre Développement Choréographique / Biennale de danse du Val-de-Marne (FR), Hebbel am Ufer (DE), Grand Theater Groningen (NL)
2013
With the support of the Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, HODWORKS presents Dawn.
Dawn is invited to be included in the selection of the Aerowaves programme.
In November, Adrienn Hód is a fellow at the Headlands Centre for the Arts in San Francisco.
2014
Participant of the Philadelphia Dance Exchange Art Exchange Program.
Participant in the Svetvincenat residency program in Croatia.
Dawn wins Rudolf Lábán prize.
As a choreographer, she worked on the movement design for the film Son of Saul (directed by László Nemes Jeles), which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2016, among other awards.
HODWORKS presents Conditions of Being a Mortal.
2015
Conditions of Being a Mortal was selected as one of the 20 most outstanding contemporary dance performances of the year by Aerowaves.
2016
HODWORKS presents Grace.
HODWORKS participates in the Tanzmesse programme with Grace and Conditions of Being a Mortal.
She produces Pearl for the En-Knap Group in Ljubljana.
Choreographer of the production Gentlemen in the K-Arcs series at the Central European Dance Theatre.
Female participant in the HOM/FAM choreography series at Staatstheater Mainz with her duet Beliefs.
Her work as a choreographer was awarded the Zoltán Imre Prize.
2017
She is again awarded the Rudolf Lábán Prize for her choreography of HODWORKS’s Grace.
She presents her new piece entitled Solos with the HODWORKS company.
Shakespeare’s play ‘The Winter’s Tale’, directed by Péter Valló, is staged at the Radnóti Theatre in which she participates as choreographer.
She contributed as choreographer of movement to the film Sunset directed by László Nemes Jeles.
She plays in The nun by Dollár Papa Gyermekei.
2018
HODWORKS presents Sunday.
They recieve a Rudolf Lábán Prize for Solos.
Choreographer of Ithaka at Katona József Theatre with director Kriszta Székely.
Solo is invited to the 2018 Tanzmesse.
2019
In February, HODWORKS presents their new production Mirage at MU Theatre.
Coexist is presented at the Stadt Theater in Bremen in co-production with the Unusual Symptoms.
Choreographer of the Artravaló project alongside director Márta Schermann.
2020
HODWORKS presents Another Dance Show in co-production with Trafó House of Contemporary Arts.
She choreographs Chorus Line for the Body Project (SEAD, Salzburg).
Co-founder and organiser of the Under500 Festival.
Choreographer of the film Erasing Frank.
2021
HODWORKS presents Amber in co-production with Trafó House of Contemporary Arts.
Choreographer of Flappers at the invitation of SUB.LAB.PRO.
HODWORKS is invited to the Venice Biennale with Sunday and a workshop.
Co-mentor of FREESZFE in Theatre and Performance.
Resident of Dance House Limassol (Cyprus).
She gives an introductory programme at Copenhagen Contemporary Dance School with Márcio Kerber Canabarro.
Invited teacher at the b12 workshop in Berlin.
Co-creator of the OFF Foundation’s piece Nebula for preschoolers.
Co-organiser of the Under500 Festival. (Trailer)
2022
HODWORKS and Unusual Symptoms from Bremen present Harmonia at Theater Bremen, co-produced by Trafó House of Contemporary Arts.
Invited teacher at the b12 workshop in Berlin.
Choreographer of Soft Spot in collaboration with B.O.D.Y. and ME-SA.
Induction programme at Copenhagen Contemporary Dance School with Márcio Kerber Canabarro.
Choreographer of Cabaret in collaboration with the company Dollár Papa Gyermekei.
Premiere of Base on ballet.
Invited choreographer of the SUB.LAB. course (International Dance Week Budapest).
Co-creator of the OFF Foundation’s project “I can still play like this at my age”.
Co-organizer of the Under500 Festival. (Trailer)
Co-mentor of FREESZFE in Theatre and Performance.
She plays in The gentlemen by Dollár Papa Gyermekei.
Harmonia is invited to Tanzmesse.
2023
Intim trainer during the creation of The blue lagoon by Dollár Papa Gyermekei.
She plays in Gentlemen by Dollár Papa Gyermekei (directed by Emőke Kiss Végh).
Premiere of Idol in collaboration with ArtMenők
Harmonia recieves the Lábán Rudolf prize
Premiere of Voice of Power commisioned and produced by steirischer herbst ʼ23
Idol is invited to DunaPart6
Premiere of Midnight Oil in Hong Kong in collaboration with Unlock Dancing Plaza
Harmonia is invited to Tanzplattform 2024
She choreographed Csaba Molnár in the contemporary dance performance Menthol, based on Zsolt Hamarits’ photo Universe, 2017, vocals by Zoltán Mizsei.
She creates Flash for SUB.LAB.PRO (Trailer)
Co-organiser of Under500 Festival (Trailer)
She is now based in Vienna
2024
The Hungarian premiere of Midnight Oil at Trafó
The premiere of Shared Values with WUK Performing Arts in Vienna
Co-organiser of Under500 Festival
The creation of the piece Charlie (working title)
She teaches at Solid ground – challenging space, Munchen, choreographic lab
2025
Testállítás performance at ISBN+ Gallery in Budapest
Co-organiser of Under500 Festival
Premier of Charlie