{"id":787355,"date":"2026-05-10T21:32:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T21:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/787355\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T21:32:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T21:32:14","slug":"rhythm-nation-politicians-viral-dance-moves-mark-new-optimistic-era-for-hungary-hungary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/787355\/","title":{"rendered":"Rhythm nation: politician\u2019s viral dance moves mark new, optimistic era for Hungary | Hungary"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Hungary\u2019s P\u00e9ter Magyar took office<\/a>, ousting Viktor Orb\u00e1n after 16 years in power, the daylong event on Saturday was laced with symbolism, from the return of the EU flag to parliament to the ringing out of the European anthem, Ode to Joy.<\/p>\n

But it was the 56-year-old tipped to be the new health minister \u2013 and more specifically, his dance moves \u2013 that may have become the most potent symbol of Hungary\u2019s new political era.<\/p>\n

In the lead up to Saturday\u2019s inauguration, as Magyar and his Tisza party prepared to be sworn in<\/a>, Zsolt Heged\u0171s\u2019s phone began buzzing.<\/p>\n

Many of the messages were from people wanting to know the same thing, said Heged\u0171s, an internationally recognised orthopaedic surgeon who spent more than 10 years working for the NHS in the UK.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were tons of messages saying \u2018Dr. Heged\u0171s, you\u2019re going to get this celebration started, aren\u2019t you?\u2019 or \u2018There\u2019s going to be dancing?\u2019\u201d Heged\u0171s told the Guardian.<\/p>\n

It was a nod to the viral moment he starred in<\/a> last month when he broke into an impromptu dance \u2013 prompting glee across the country and beyond \u2013 as Tisza celebrated winning a landslide victory.<\/p>\n

On Saturday he was set on avoiding a repeat performance, insisting that his previous dance had been a singular, spur-of-the-moment outpouring of emotion.<\/p>\n

He continued to insist even as he was told that the singer, Jalja, whose song he had rocked out to, would be performing and as tens of thousands of people descended on parliament to take in the ceremony and sprawling dance party that followed.<\/p>\n

Hours later, however, his emotions again got the best of him. \u201cWhen the music started \u2026 I could see that the audience had been waiting for this so eagerly,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to let down the people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Images of Heged\u0171s, who is expected to be put forward this week as health minister, and his full-throttle dance moves, complete with air guitar, again went viral, reflecting the joy that has gripped much of Hungary<\/a> since the election.<\/p>\n

One day later, he was still basking in the moment. \u201cI\u2019m on an emotional rollercoaster that\u2019s still hard to wrap my head around,\u201d he said. <\/strong>\u201cThe love and the reception I received from people \u2013 both during and after the event \u2013 it was almost like having fans; they started celebrating me like a rock star.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he prepared to focus on the tremendous task of fixing Hungary\u2019s crumbling healthcare system, Heged\u0171s described his fancy-footed moment as a potential way forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that I\u2019m going to start dancing in parliament, but I want to use this popularity to encourage people to adopt a health-conscious lifestyle and focus on mental wellbeing,\u201d he said, listing off the myriad health benefits of dancing.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo outside, dance, be together. Let\u2019s stop fiddling with our gadgets. Let\u2019s enjoy the moment,\u201d he said, adding that perhaps the time had come for Hungary to return to having t\u00e1nch\u00e1z, referring to the community dance halls that were once widespread across the country.<\/p>\n

But he also pointed to the wider context, describing the dance as an embodiment of just how much things had changed across the country in recent weeks. \u201cThe weight has begun to lift from people\u2019s shoulders,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The visual landscape was one example, as the defeat of Orb\u00e1n had seen the ubiquitous billboards<\/a>, seeking to drum up fears over the EU, Ukraine and others, steadily disappear from Hungary\u2019s streets.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow people no longer have to walk to work past those war posters and hate-mongering propaganda. There is no more visual pollution or that awful propaganda that took a toll on mental health,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a breath of fresh air.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Hungary\u2019s P\u00e9ter Magyar took office, ousting Viktor Orb\u00e1n after 16 years in power, the daylong event on…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":787356,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[51,50,52],"class_list":{"0":"post-787355","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-stories"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116552425294821311","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=787355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787355\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/787356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=787355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=787355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=787355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}