II. Gojma Price - Final and award ceremony

Antal “Gojma” Kovács, the legendary Roma dancer and musician known from Romano Drom and Ando Drom, passed away 21 years ago. On the occasion of last year’s round anniversary, his family, the Romano Drom band (Antal Kovács, Máté A. Kovács, Krisztián Kovács) decided, in an unconventional and tradition‑creating way, to found and launch the Gojma Award. They are looking for the most dynamic Roma dancer in the country, the one whose spirit is closest to Gojma’s. After last year’s highly successful talent show and gala performance, this year they have raised the bar even higher in order to organize the country’s largest Roma dance competition on a national scale, and in connection with it to create a major three‑day event at the House of Music Hungary. At the finals of the 2nd Gojma Award – Solo Dance Competition in Memory of Antal “Gojma” Kovács, once again the dancers selected this time from ten regional preliminaries will perform to the music of excellent musicians before a distinguished professional jury. From among them the winner of the 2nd Gojma Award will emerge, who, in addition to the cash prize, will also receive a one‑year talent development program. At the Gojma Award finals, besides the exceptional and outstanding dancers, the audience will also see the legendary namesake again in archive footage, and fantastic musicians will take the stage: Zoltán Orosz – Kornél Horváth, Mónika Lakatos – Mihály “Mazsi” Rostás, József Balogh – Gusztáv Balogh, János “Guszti” Lakatos and the Romano Drom ensemble. The evening will be characterized by beautiful music, dazzling dancers and plenty of excitement! Immediately after the award ceremony the evening will continue with a free dance house on the Open‑Air Stage, where the Baxtale band will play and last year’s 1st Gojma Award winner, Zoltán Makula, will teach the dances! On the following two days the free, large‑scale Romano World Music and Dance Art Festival will take place, with dance houses, foreign performers, interdisciplinary productions, traditionalist ensembles and concerts by Romano Drom, as well as A. Kovács and the Cigány Karaván, enriched with numerous guest stars.

Just like on the occasion of the 1st Gojma Award in 2025, this time again several hundred people from every corner of the country applied for the competition, but this year the preliminaries are/were held at 10 locations during the spring: the audiences of Kalocsa, Nyíregyháza, Szeged, Szolnok, Nagyecsed and many other towns can encounter the program. The founders visit each of the 10 locations so that the applicants can present their skills live. The best contestants make it to the finals held at the House of Music, where the top 15 dancers will measure their skills before a five‑member professional jury and the general public. The grand prize is HUF 600,000 and the one‑year talent development program. At the Gojma Award finals the public will see special and excellent dancers, and in addition to the dance competition, the Gala Show will feature film footage of the legendary namesake, and fantastic musicians will also appear on stage: former musician colleagues of Antal “Gojma” Kovács, as well as the Romano Drom ensemble. The evening will be characterized by beautiful music, dazzling dancers and plenty of excitement!

PERFORMERS:
Zoltán Orosz – Kornél Horváth
Mónika Lakatos – Mihály “Mazsi” Rostás
József Balogh – Gusztáv Balogh
János “Guszti” Lakatos
And the Romano Drom ensemble
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JURY:
Marina Pommier – International music industry expert, program organizer, manager, program organizer of Sziget Ltd.
István Berecz – Artistic director of Fonó, freelance dancer, choreographer.
Miklós Both – Musician, composer, ethnographer, director general of the Hungarian Heritage House
Zsolt Farkas – Musician, dancer, choreographer, head of the Khamoro Dance Theatre and the Khamoro Budapest Band folklore ensemble.
Antal Kovács – Musician, composer, lyricist, cultural program organizer, leader of the Romano Drom ensemble, Gojma’s son, founder of the award

The event was supported by the State Secretariat for Social Opportunities and Roma Relations of the Ministry of Interior, which made it possible this year to elevate the event to a national level and to organize a large‑scale festival at the House of Music Hungary on the weekend connected to the Gojma Award. The Romano World Music and Dance Art Festival – also in memory of Gojma – will be held at the House of Music Hungary on 3 and 4 July. Hungarian Roma dance schools will introduce themselves, and several well‑known Hungarian and international Roma bands will give a joint concert together with well‑known Hungarian bands, artists and dancers. Among the performers will be, among others, the Khamoro Budapest Band, Romano Drom, Roby Lakatos, the Urban Verbunk Junior dance ensemble with the Somnakaj production, and many others.

A joint event of the Czinka Panna World Music and Dance Art Association and the House of Music Hungary, supported by the State Secretariat for Social Opportunities and Roma Relations of the Ministry of Interior.