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about
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about
Stern Lili – 10-Year Anniversary Performance Mini-Festival
Celebrating self-taught artistry at Bethlen Theatre.
Performer, choreographer, drama instructor, and arts manager Lili Stern celebrates her 10-year artistic anniversary with a three-day mini-festival in March 2026 at the Bethlen Theatre, the very place where her career began.
At just 26 years old, Stern’s festival is both a personal retrospective and a contemporary celebration: through memories, the body’s own recollections, and lived experiences, it traces her artistic journey so far. The performances explore how the language of contemporary dance and performance evolves at the intersection of individual experience and generational issues.
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program
March 8 – SKIZOFRÉN (with Sára Fodor)
Exactly ten years after its premiere, Stern’s first performance returns to the stage—a work she created at the age of 16 with Sára Fodor. Skizofrén presents a sensitive exploration of identity, the fragmentation of consciousness, and the tangible imprints of mental breaking points.
March 12 – LOOP POOL (with post-performance discussion)
After seven years, Stern’s highly acclaimed 2019 solo returns. The performance examines body image disorders, anorexia nervosa, and the paradoxes of self-control. Radically honest, intimate, and visually striking, it uses the body both as a medium and a subject.
March 14 – UNDERDOG (Special Edition)
The 2024 solo, now renewed for 2026, explores social exclusion, starting from disadvantage, survival, and the act of asking for help. A personal testimony of a past abusive relationship, it invites audience reflection while confronting Stern’s unique movement and performance language.
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bio
About the artist:
Lili Stern’s performances are not only artistic creations but also contemporary commentaries: they bring generational taboos to the public with strong visual, philosophical, and emotional layers, marked by radical honesty. Stern has worked as an independent artist since she was 16. Over the past ten years, she has created nine full-length works, including solos, duets, large ensemble, and participatory projects. She studied at Madách Dance School and later completed her BA in Drama Instruction at the University of Theatre and Film Arts (SZFE), then deepened her professional experience in the United States. Two years ago, she returned to Hungary to actively shape the independent performing arts scene not only as an artist but also as an organizer and manager. Her artistic philosophy is grounded in dialogue: open rehearsals, direct communication, and post-performance discussions all foster ongoing connection and engagement.
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