Rhythm nation: politician’s viral dance moves mark new, optimistic era for Hungary

As Hungary’s Péter Magyar took office, ousting Viktor Orbán 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.

But it was the 56-year-old tipped to be the new health minister – and more specifically, his dance moves – that may have become the most potent symbol of Hungary’s new political era.

In the lead up to Saturday’s inauguration, as Magyar and his Tisza party prepared to be sworn in, Zsolt Hegedűs’s phone began buzzing.

Many of the messages were from people wanting to know the same thing, said Hegedűs, an internationally recognised orthopaedic surgeon who spent more than 10 years working for the NHS in the UK.

“There were tons of messages saying ‘Dr. Hegedűs, you’re going to get this celebration started, aren’t you?’ or ‘There’s going to be dancing?’” Hegedűs told the Guardian.

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

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.

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.

Hours later, however, his emotions again got the best of him. “When the music started … I could see that the audience had been waiting for this so eagerly,” he said. “I didn’t want to let down the people.”

Images of Hegedűs, 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 since the election.

One day later, he was still basking in the moment. “I’m on an emotional rollercoaster that’s still hard to wrap my head around,” he said.“The love and the reception I received from people – both during and after the event – it was almost like having fans; they started celebrating me like a rock star.”

As he prepared to focus on the tremendous task of fixing Hungary’s crumbling healthcare system, Hegedűs described his fancy-footed moment as a potential way forward.

“It’s not that I’m 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,” he said, listing off the myriad health benefits of dancing.

“Go outside, dance, be together. Let’s stop fiddling with our gadgets. Let’s enjoy the moment,” he said, adding that perhaps the time had come for Hungary to return to having táncház, referring to the community dance halls that were once widespread across the country.

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. “The weight has begun to lift from people’s shoulders,” he said.

The visual landscape was one example, as the defeat of Orbán had seen the ubiquitous billboards, seeking to drum up fears over the EU, Ukraine and others, steadily disappear from Hungary’s streets.

“Now 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,” he said. “This is a breath of fresh air.”