About us
Workshop Foundation was founded in 1992 with the aim of providing support for independent artists, encouraging their artistic development in order to facilitate the development of the Hungarian contemporary dance scene as a whole. Its main strategic objective is the encouragement of border-crossing – both geographically and among artistic disciplines.
The Foundation works with nearly 200 Hungarian and foreign artists yearly and runs 4 studios in two highly important independent art institutions in Budapest, a 120m2 studio in Trafó House of Contemporary Arts and, since January 2014, 3 studios (880m2 in total) in Jurányi Incubator House.
The social and professional environment, the facilitation and maintenance of partnerships and collaborations and long-term thinking are crucial in our work.
The activity of the Foundation revolves around the artists with whom it is in partnership. We aim to become not merely their supporters but their partners, getting involved with their work at the right moment in their career, building strong collaborations and following their artistic path on the long term; being more interested in the process than the finished production. Feedback and requirements received from the artists and the existing international examples have served as a base for our activities and programmes.
The Foundation provides the following support for independent performing artists:
• education
• production help
• professional help
Workshop Foundation is known abroad for its international co-productions, educational and residency programmes (both production and research residencies) as well as its active role in professional networks.
WSF to date has an extensive and branching, well-functioning net of international liaisons and is one of those Hungarian organizations that are internationally recognized and widely known. Important networks, partnerships include: Life Long Burning, Aerowaves, GPS – Movement Research and Philadelphia Dance Projects.
The supporters of Workshop Foundation: Ministry of Human Capacities (EMMI), National Cultural Fund of Hungary (NKA), Summa Artium, Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
OUR TEAM
Gergely Talló
Director of Workshop Foundation
It was in Pécs, one of the biggest cities of Hungary that he first engaged in cultural and educational organizing, managing at Laterna Magica association. The association under his leadership focused on motion picture programs linked directly to the educational profile of the University of Pécs. He moved to Budapest in May 2000. and started working as Director of Workshop Foundation (WSF). Since then he has got to know the participants, problems and background of Hungarian and International contemporary art life, especially that of contemporary dance. In 2013 WSF opened a center with 3 new dance studios, with an open office which is able to welcome 10-12 artists/art managers at the same time. With the leadership of Gergely Talló WSF offers 50 movement based and dance classes per a week, 4 professional dance studios in two different places in Budapest and works with/for more than 200 artists of the local and international contemporary performing art communities.
Gergely Talló is active as a curator, expert in different international networks and projects e.g. Aerowaves, East is Best, Life Long Burning, Nature of Us, Philadelphia-Budapest Bilateral Cultural Exchange program and he is partner of Movement Research GPS program since 2017.
Contact:
+36704273474
Brigitta Kovács
Partner, International Development & Project Management
Brigitta Kovács is an artist manager & cultural producer. Since 2018, she has dedicated her work to support emerging artists in developing their career, finding collaborators, funding, presentation opportunities locally and internationally.
She is working as a freelancer cultural producer, but in an official Partnership with Workshop Foundation since 2023, as they are mutually supporting each other in development, strategy and project implementations. Brigitta is responsible for the international development of the Foundation in collaboration with director Gergely Talló, and works as the project manager of the Creative Europe projects WSF is involved in. She is the co-initiator and main project coordinator of the Next Stage program.
In 2021 she was a CEC ArtsLink fellow, hosted by Movement Research (NYC) and has been running exchanges between the US and Hungary ever since. She is producer and co-curator of Hungary L!ve Festival, an interdisciplinary festival showcasing Hungarian contemporary artworks and artists in New York.
The different activities are linked by her mission is to improve the precarious working conditions of artists and cultural workers in the performing arts field, and initiate mutually beneficial partnerships that can aid more sustainable career paths and strategies.
Contact:
brigi.wsf@gmail.com
Ramóna Takács
Head of Training Program
Ramóna Takács is a contemporary dance artist, dance educator, creator, and visual artist. She graduated in 2016 from the Budapest Contemporary Dance Academy with a degree in dance performance. During her studies, she also spent time in Spain through the Erasmus program, where she gained experience both in conservatory settings and with professional dance companies.
Ramóna is active in several fields: she teaches in Budapest and across Hungary in various institutions – including vocational secondary schools, art schools, and accredited adult education programs. Her teaching areas include contemporary dance training, improvisation, contact improvisation, and dance and choreographic practices based on individual movement exploration.
She is also active as a performer and choreographer, regularly participating in performances and dance productions. Her strong interest in visual arts is exemplified by her exhibition Hybridnature at the Hungarian Workshop Gallery (Magyar Műhely Galéria), where she explored invented creatures and their environmental relationships through works that balance on the boundary between fiction and reality.
Her work is characterized by experimentation, an interdisciplinary approach, and a strong sense of bodily awareness, which are present in both her teaching and artistic practice.
Emma Teleki
Coordinator Responsible for Rehearsals and Programs
Emma Teleki graduated from the Hungarian University of Fine Arts as a visual artist and art teacher. She has worked on the realization of numerous collaborative art projects and, as a freelance art educator, regularly engages with groups from diverse backgrounds. She believes that by strengthening invisible micro-communities and harmonizing various interdisciplinary approaches, we can move closer to change and create a more open environment through experience-based knowledge sharing.
Lili Hitka
Financial Officer
Lili Hitka graduated in 2018 with a BA in Art Theory from the Hungarian University of Fine Arts. She was a board member of the Studio of Young Artists Association (FKSE) from 2019 to 2020 and then served as co-chair from 2021 to 2023. Throughout her career, she has participated in the organization and management of numerous cultural festivals, exhibitions, and discussion series. In 2020, she joined the team of the OFF Foundation, supporting the Hodworks company, as a company manager and administrator, turning her focus toward the performing arts scene. Through her work with the company, she gained significant financial and administrative experience.
Since 2023, she has been assisting the Műhely Foundation as a Finance Officer. Her responsibilities include managing the Foundation’s administrative affairs and providing advisory support to the team on financial and grant reporting matters.
Contact:
workshop@wsf.hu
Lili Stern
Communication and Project Manager
Lili Stern graduated in 2021 with a BA in Drama Instruction from the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest. Shortly after, she was awarded a scholarship and moved to New York State to pursue a Master’s degree in Arts Management. In 2023, she relocated to Northern California, where she worked as a manager for two years at Music in the Vineyards. Since 2024, Stern has been serving as Communications and Project Manager at the Workshop Foundation, and she is also one of the emerging project managers in the European Next Stage Project management incubator program. Beginning in 2025, she has been contributing to the strategic renewal of Bethlen Square Theatre, where she is also a member of the theatre’s Artistic Council. In 2025, Stern became a curatorial member of the Advisory Board of the Independent Performing Arts Foundation and an organizer of the Hungary Live Festival, which promotes Hungarian-American cultural exchange.
Eszter Lovrity
Cultural manager
Eszter Lovrity comes from an arts and design background and works as a project manager in the independent theater scene. She lived and worked in France for four years, which led to her involvement in Ladder Art Company’s participation in the Avignon Off Festival in 2024. At Next Stage, she primarily focuses on managing projects for artist Beatrix Simkó and coordinating the 3rd Hungary Live Festival in 2025, while also being involved in other initiatives within Next Stage.
Contact: