Folk Dance

Most people think this way about folk dance: if I'm facing my partner, and will grab their waist / shoulder, and we will make a move together, let's say to the right, and I will put my left foot close to the right foot, and repeat it backwards, than I perform a folk dance called one-step czardas. If, by the same method, I take two steps back and forth, then it is a two-step czardas. If, together with my partner, we move around an imaginary axis that is between us, then it is a circle czardas. However, the situation is more complicated. Even with the simplest of these steps, the possibility arises, that, for example, if we take these steps with bent knees or on tiptoes, then, if we do so, we perform a dance characteristic of one or another region.

For this reason, those you want to teach Hungarian folk dance as a profession, have to - at least at a minimum level - be familiar with its origin, historical background, dance forms, geographical stratification, etc.

We can say without bias that the Hungarian folk dance represents the richest treasure of forms in the Carpathian Basin. Throughout history, there were many outside influences that affected Hungarians, it should suffice to recall modern history. After the retreat of the Turks, the nearly deserted villages were inhabited by German, Austrian, Flemish, Slovak and South Slavic populations. Also, the ethnic group of Gypsies, who followed a nomadic way of life and represented a special kind of folklore, arrived in the area. In Transylvania there lived side by side Romanians, Hungarians, Saxons, later joined by Armenians and Jews, and everyone brought their own culture. Such an ethnic diversity could not be seen anywhere else! The customs of ethnic groups, including folk songs and dances, mutually influenced each other. And these influences spiced up the peasant dances throughout the country.

Three main historical layers of Hungarian folkdance can be distinguished: the archaic, medieval dances, where, for example, the versions of partner dances were danced mostly without close bodily contact, while group dances were often danced as a chain dance or a ring dance (the girls’ ring dance).

The old layer also includes weapon dances, whose late descendants are, for example, dances using sticks (botoló) or other instruments or devices. Some of the dance melodies from that period represent the old-style Hungarian folk music of oriental origin; others have retained traces of the dance music of European Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque. The majority of old-fashioned dances are characterized by structural regulatedness. The old dance types are directly related to some strata of treasured dances form the neighboring nations in Central Europe, mainly Slovaks, the Carpathian Poles (the Gorals), Rusyns, Ukrainians and Romanians, as well as the South Slavs (Serbs, Croats).

 The today's forms and types of dance, belonging to the newer layer of the Hungarian dance treasury, have evolved over the last two centuries, expressing the character the Hungarian national dance, at home and abroad. The 19th century pursuit and attempts to create national culture promoted the spread of the new Hungarian dance fashion. Such new and very popular dances are the czardas and the verbunkos.

Among partner dances, holding tight to the partner became a dominant mode. In the verbunkos, besides unregulated, informal dance forms, a significant role was given to bound forms of circle dancing.

The new dance types are connected, on the one hand, to the new-style song material of Hungarian folk music, and on the other hand, to the 19th century Hungarian folk art songs and the instrumental music of the verbunkos and the czardas.

The mixed category of the Hungarian dance treasure includes those foreign, usually Western, middle class, dances performed in dance schools, which during the last two centuries were temporarily accepted by some layers of the peasantry.

So far, discussing dance types, we have focused on ’what’ we dance when we dance; thereafter, we will talk about the "how". In this respect, the dance dialects and their geographic location will be discussed.

In other words, we will speak about dance dialects. For example, we can dance in a "South - Great Plain" dance dialect, you can dance in a "Transylvanian" dance dialect, and they can dance in a "Western Transdanubian" dance dialect.

The dance dialects on the territory of the Hungarian language can be divided into roughly three regions, distinct in style and dance material or substance.

The first large area is the western or the Danube dance dialect. This includes:

• Csallóköz, Szigetköz;
• Rábaköz;
• Western and Central Transdanubia
• Southern Transdanubia  (the Drava, Ormánság region);
• The Danube (Sárköz, Mezőföld);
• Kalocsa
• The Kiskunság region (Solt- and Tápió region).

Another big area is the mid or Tisza dance dialect:

• The Upper Tisza region;
• Northeast Highlands,
• The Eastern palóc és matyó ethnic groups
• The Nagykunság and Jászság regions
• Southern Plains and Lower Tisza Region;

Examples:

:http://www.folkpart.hu/hir/47/delalfoldi_parostancok_lassu_csardas_fris_csardas_olahos_bemutato_ora

The Third area is the eastern or Transylvanian dance dialect:

• Kalotaszeg region
• the Transylvanian Plain
• The Székely Land or Szeklerland
• The Csango people of Hétfalu (seven settlements)
• The Csango people of Gyimesi
• Bukovina Székely Land
• The Csango people of Moldva

These region names tell us where to look if anyone is interested in the Hungarian folk dance and folk songs.

The music and movement material of Hungarian dance dialects (thanks to the work of folk song and dance data collectors) is well documented according to regions and is available to all those who want to learn or teach it.

More detail at: http://www.folkpart.hu/kapcsolat/z (home page)

The dance movement material of various regions and settlements is build up of what are called orders, which combine in an independent unit (a dance), which has specific forms, motives and steps, and a different rhythm of music.

Having demonstrated the richness of the Hungarian folk dance treasury, I would like to expose, as an example, a village dance which truly characterizes this culture in all its beauty. The dance is a Transylvanian folk dance from Mezőségi Szék. It represents the dance culture of a closed world of old market towns, north of Kolozsvár, its song treasures, their style of dresses preserved almost to the present day, and fondly bestowed by folk dance researchers, teachers and professionals.

The large village has not only one dance, but altogether seven!

The seven dances excellently show the structure of the regional dance: there's the old layer of dance (the male dance: dense and sparse tempo); the new "slow" layer is represented by the czardas, the four-step Hungarian dance and the verbunkos, but there is also a mixed dance type, the porka, and the seven-step dance (the latter two are inspired by the Western European dance tradition). The seven dances were danced according to the rigorous order (and this is how they are danced today). It was a dialect, which, around the time of the formation of dance houses (in the early seventies), was learned and acquired by the urban youth across the country.

The important and determinative period when the renewal of Hungarian folk dance took place took place in the early seventies. It all happened during the formation of the dance house movement, which on the one hand revolutionized the dance staging, on the other hand it introduced a radically new method of dance learning.

Before we continue,  as a sign of respect we absolutely need to mention the great names of the ancestors, Bélá Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, who were among the first to recognize the significance of Hungarian folk song (and dance). They had a technical tool (the phonograph) for song (sound) collection, but yet not for recording (the camera) dance (the picture).

Nearly fifty years later, their methods were continued by György Martin, a folk dance researcher, and by his folklorist peers, among them by Sándor Tímár, who as the head of Bartók Dance Ensemble entertained the idea of stage dance renewal.

The goal of the Hungarian folk movement (already from its beginning) was the preservation, nurturing and development of folk dance, however, these intentions branched off: soon two currents prevailed, which interpreted the duties of "care" and "improvement" in different ways. One approach in particular made great efforts to demonstrate the scientific exploration and authentic folk dance forms, and it sought a sense of authenticity in the choreographic work  with a view to form folk dance into a high-order autonomous work of art. For another approach the essence was the directness or intimacy of living with folk art. (Vitányi Iván,  1979)

Sándor Tanner, who was brought up in the tradition of the István Molnar’s "school", is a supporter of the former principle. He learned the respect for the authentic folk art and love of its tough forms from his master, István Molnar. Himself, he dug deeper in order to gain more credibility than his choreographer predecessors, and as we saw earlier, as a result of the division of labor, he heavily relied on the research and analyses conducted by his friends and colleagues, mainly by György Martin and Ernő Pesovár.

When he invited peasant dancers to the rehearsal of the Bartok Ensemble, they danced so naturally and freely that they captivated everyone. ’Mesti’ (the nickname of Tanner) realized that this is the way to follow.

He also realized that dance works as a language. The words are steps, sentences are motifs, and there are thoughts, free dance itself (improvisation). All this is surrounded by a rigorous something, the dance order, and it is not appropriate to break it down.

Tanner applied these principles in his Ensemble, which needed musicians who had worked in their own genre according to the same method. Fortunately, and thanks to the friends of György Martin, he soon met two young students, Béla Halmos and Ferenc Sebő, who were devoted to the same approach. As a result of their cooperation Bartók Dance Ensemble dancers soon gained such elemental knowledge of dancing that they could perform clean and tight choreographies (they knew how to speak that language) on stage with ease and apparent cheerfulness, and as a result, they became a model for other ensembles in the country as well. This way the Bartók Ensemble became the country's leading dance group.

György Martin, who, just as "Mestia", received a nice, confidential name, „Tinka”, and around this time came up with the idea that the dancers should have fun in addition to giving entertainment. In other words, the dancer should not just show to the audience what s/he knows, but when s/he comes down from the stage, let him dance, even in civilian clothes, to his own enjoyment. This was also dancers needed themselves.

This idea became the germ of the dance house movement.

Tanner was in the forefront of this idea, developed the methodology of dance house teaching and for the first time he tried it on his own dance group. Then he taught dance classes in other ensembles and cultural houses.

To implement the idea, it was not enough for Halmos and his friends to know and understand the dance house music; others needed to know it, too. One by one, dance house orchestras were founded: Muzsikás, Téka,  Kalamajka, Ökrös, Méta and the country people. There were also followers in dance teaching: Litkey István, Varga Zoltán, Farkas Zoltán (Batyu), Zsuráfszky Zoltán and many others. This form of entertainment slowly spread over the whole country (and in the world: South America, the USA, Canada or Japan), and now - after more than 40 years - the third generation is the backbone of the dance house movement.

What they created, in 2012 was entered in the UNESCO's intangible heritage program, as an exemplary and recommended cultural activity.

Barna Lilla