The performance Mails presents traditional dance and music culture of nationalties living in Slovakia and incorporates the writings of Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály, Sándor Petőfi and Sándor Márai. It shows the Highland region through the eyes of those mentioned above, (composers, ethnomusicologists, poet and writer) at the turn of the century and early twentieth century. In the readings from their letters and works the authors narrate stories of travelling and collecting in the area and relate their feelings towards the area itself and its people. The integrity of music, dance, traditional costumes and the spoken passages evokes the era, the atmosphere in which these dances lived in their natural environment. During the performance a comprehensive, humane image of the Highlands at the turn of the century comes to life, the different regions presented taking into account geographical and historical dance aspects. The performance includes Hungarian, Slovak, Gypsy and Jewish music and dance giving an authentic reflection of the ethnic make-up of the region at the time.
Mails is a full evening performance premiered in 2005 by Ifjú Szivek Dance Theatre. This frequently cited choreography by Dusan Hégli has been staged nearly a hundred times by the company and more than 20,000 spectators have seen the show over the years. According to the choreographer “Mails is a milestone. I have been dealing with dances from the Highlands for 27 years. Sometimes it is good if you stop for a moment to sum up all the experience that you have collected about a topic and think it over again. This is what happened in 2005. Now the time has come again.” In 2015 Letters from the Highlands is set on stage by the company with new elements, dances from different regions, revived costumes and stage design.
