From "Hungarian Civilization: A Short History with Bibliography" by Michael J Horvath, LL.D., M.S.L.S., University of Maryland, College Park Foreign travelers in Hungary at the time of the Turkish wars wrote about the famous, impassioned battle dance of the HAIDUK performed with swords and axes, as a unique, fiery dance unknown to other nations. In the past century Hungarian folk dance (népi tánc) was still a traditional part of the folklore, chiefly in the life of the peasantry. The recruiting dances, the "Verbunk (Verbungos)", the dance of the Hungarian Hussars, the peasant couple dance, and the "Csárdás", which became a ballroom dance in the middle of the 19th century, are well known in European literature of dance. In the middle of the 1920s this was noticed chiefly by Hungarian ethnographers who, animated by the movement collecting folk dance music initiated and performed by Béla Bartok and Zoltán Kodály, decided to rescue what was still alive of the folk dance material. The ethnographer Sándor Gyönyey recorded folk dance on silent film as early as 1925. Later a large amount of material has been collected: 60,000 meters of dance films and many musical recordings. By now the number of amateur folk dance groups in Hungary has risen to above two thousand. Under the regular guidance of outstanding teacher-choreographers, the most talented members of these groups develop into artists capable of not only rendering folklore material convincingly but also undertaking the creation and new works rooted in folk art on yet a higher technical level, and conceived in a modern spirit. Original folk dances and games still survive in the villages and are recorded by amateur and professional researchers. Children's dances and songs are widely popular in various regions. Ancient songs can often be heard in the schoolyards, in the fields, and even in the parks of major towns where children dance in rounds, in semicircles, in star-shaped formations, sometimes with raised arms threadneedle-like. The patterns of these children's games are quite simple. In some regions where traditions are observed, the "couple dance" in the matchmaking games is performed in the style and with the steps of the Csardas of the grown-ups. The female dances are similar in pattern to the children's games; the girls sing and dance in rounds, first slowly and then swiftly. The traditional costumes have had a strong influence on the various female dances; with the Matyós around Mezokovesd, jumps on both feet are regular features along the hem of the skirt. IN the Sarkoz region where the skirts are ample and short, the swing of the hips is a frequent movement which is meant to enhance the swinging of the skirt. The footwear is another factor influencing the dancing; in South Transdanubia (Dunántul) the girls wearing cloth-soled flat slippers dance differently from those wearing heeled slippers, who live a distance of only ten miles away from those dancing in boots, in the northern regions. While women lived a rather secluded life and only within their family, the men had more opportunity for entertainment. In certain occupations it was also the custom to display strength and skill by dancing, and therefore the movements and expressions of the male dances are extremely rich. Three main types of male dance ca be distinguished:
soldiers' dances, pastoral dances, and dances performed with various instruments. In the group of soldiers' dances is the Haiduk (Hajdutánc) dance, performed with swords in the 16th century. It is known nowadays from historical documents. The still surviving Verbunk (Verbungos) has, however, preserved in memory the recruitments of bygone times. In the western part of the country the circular pattern still shows the circles which used to be joined by the
youngsters to be recruited, with the corporal in the middle. Although the central figure is sometimes omitted, both the music and the dance still show traces of the two original parts: the solo and the group dance. Some of the structurally well-defined Verbunk follow the traditional musical form, that is, by ever-changing variations. The joint clapping of hands, the slapping of boots
in intricated rhythms, and the simple movements performed by the larger number of dancers impart a certain monumentality to the dance. Verbunk has often been an inspiration to Hungarian composers. A classical example is Zoltán Kodaly's well known "recruiting dance" in his opera "Háry János." Several thousand
Roman Catholic Csángós of Gyimes live beyond the Carpathians, on the Moldavian slope, in the Gyimes Pass and in the mountains rising above it. They are a late offshoot of the Székely drive eastward (after Mádéfalvi veszedelem). Gyimesfelsolok, Gyimeskozeplok, and Gyimesbukk are their most important settlements. Their idiom of music and dance and the Hungarian part of their customs link them to the Székelys of Csik. Their traditional dances are the Recruiting dance, the Csardas, and the walk and turn of the Kettos (double). Another group of male dances comprises the pastoral (Herdsmen) dances. Nomadic stock raising was significant in Hungary up to the mid-19th century. Living outdoors winter and summer alike. Magyar pásztorok (herdsmen) had to rely on their own sill and strength to defend their herds against wolves and thieves. They acquired amazing skill in handling various tools, such as sticks, axes, and ropes. This skill was also demonstrated in their dances. The swift twirling of sticks or axes, the swishing and slashing movements with long whips, quick jumps, turns, and attacking and defending steps, as well as humorous playful elements, are characteristics of these dances. The dance style is adapted to the use of the tool, especially the stick held on the shoulders or crosswise on the back, or twirled around the fingers of one hand while slapping the boots with the other, or else used as a weapon for playful battle. Herdsmen's' dances are also performed without tools, as a sort of pantomime. In Northern Hungary (Felvidék) the swineherds have a popular dance: one of them throws his hat to the ground and dances around it as if defending his little pig from the thieves. Another dancer tries to snatch it but must be very careful not to be hit by the "owner," while both perform the typical "swineherd step" and the "public" provides the singing accompaniment. These dances used to be performed to the accompaniment of instruments made by the dancers themselves, such as bagpipes or citer. According to historical sources, the shepherds' dance has the longest history as a stage production. The great Hungarian poet Bálint Balassi is said to have danced it at the Pozsony Diet (Nemzetgyülés) of 1572 in front of the king. In the early 19th century, the peasant students of the first Agricultural Academy in Hungary, the Georgicon at Keszthely, demonstrated the swineherds' dances of the region to visitors from other parts of Hungary. The liveliest, most animated of Hungarian dances are the "couple dances." Newer variations are being added on to this day. In most villages the local dance in couples is nowadays called the Csárdás, a term coined in the 1840s by a journalist, but the origins of the Hungarian couple dances go back much further into history. Written documents testify to the popularity of the dance in all social layers from the kings to the peasants. Dancing entertainments were prohibited by the Church on many occasions in the Middle Ages.
In the early 19th century, the first enthusiastic ethnographers described
certain outstanding features of some dances and recorded a few dance names like Kopogós (reaping), Dobogós (stamping), and Tányéronforgó (twirling on the plate). In the 1830s and 1840s, when the national self-esteem grew higher, one of the expressions of this was the demand of the progressive people that along with Hungarian language and costume, Hungarian dances should also be introduced into the ballrooms. As a reaction to the Hapsburg oppression, not even the fashionable society dance the waltz met with enthusiastic reception, because it had reached Hungary via Vienna. It provoked an attempt to create a characteristically national society dance. We know of provincial balls where during the Carnival in 1843 nothing else was performed except the Csárdás. Its name was coined in 1842 when a correspondent of the Diet, writing about the ball of the nobility organized after the session, said that the dance performed there "was the same as the dance performed on Sundays by the peasant lads and girls in the Csárda (a village inn or pub)."
This name soon came to be applied to all couple dances, with additional distinctive attributes like "kemény csárdás" (tough), Kopogós csárdás (reaping), "félfordulós csárdás" (half-turn), etc. The Csárdás is characterized by the constant and free variation of steps and movements. It usually consists of a slow and a fast part. Folk dances are customary at family gatherings, weddings, and name days when the elder generation also joins in. Dances are also performed, however, on the occasions of entertainments such as harvest, vintage, etc. The original folk dance still exists in villages and towns all over the country. The Csárdás is danced throughout the country in the following succession of patterns: the boy and the girl dance in front of each other with his hand on her waist and hers on his shoulders. After various motifs (starting with two steps to the right and two steps the left), the couple whirls around or the girl pivots around the raised hand of the boy. In more archaic forms, the couples separate and the boy performs a spectacular solo while the girl turns about her own axis or imitates the steps of the boy with reduced dynamism. The dance usually ends in a twirling of the coFolk Dance – Népi Tánc
Submited by: webmester on 6th March, 2003 – 20:17 – #218

From "Hungarian Civilization: A Short History with Bibliography" by Michael J Horvath, LL.D., M.S.L.S., University of Maryland, College Park Foreign travelers in Hungary at the time of the Turkish wars wrote about the famous, impassioned battle dance of the HAIDUK performed with swords and axes, as a unique, fiery dance unknown to other nations. In the past century Hungarian folk dance (népi tánc) was still a traditional part of the folklore, chiefly in the life of the peasantry. The recruiting dances, the "Verbunk (Verbungos)", the dance of the Hungarian Hussars, the peasant couple dance, and the "Csárdás", which became a ballroom dance in the middle of the 19th century, are well known in European literature of dance. In the middle of the 1920s this was noticed chiefly by Hungarian ethnographers who, animated by the movement collecting folk dance music initiated and performed by Béla Bartok and Zoltán Kodály, decided to rescue what was still alive of the folk dance material. The ethnographer Sándor Gyönyey recorded folk dance on silent film as early as 1925. Later a large amount of material has been collected: 60,000 meters of dance films and many musical recordings. By now the number of amateur folk dance groups in Hungary has risen to above two thousand. Under the regular guidance of outstanding teacher-choreographers, the most talented members of these groups develop into artists capable of not only rendering folklore material convincingly but also undertaking the creation and new works rooted in folk art on yet a higher technical level, and conceived in a modern spirit. Original folk dances and games still survive in the villages and are recorded by amateur and professional researchers. Children's dances and songs are widely popular in various regions. Ancient songs can often be heard in the schoolyards, in the fields, and even in the parks of major towns where children dance in rounds, in semicircles, in star-shaped formations, sometimes with raised arms threadneedle-like. The patterns of these children's games are quite simple. In some regions where traditions are observed, the "couple dance" in the matchmaking games is performed in the style and with the steps of the Csardas of the grown-ups. The female dances are similar in pattern to the children's games; the girls sing and dance in rounds, first slowly and then swiftly. The traditional costumes have had a strong influence on the various female dances; with the Matyós around Mezokovesd, jumps on both feet are regular features along the hem of the skirt. IN the Sarkoz region where the skirts are ample and short, the swing of the hips is a frequent movement which is meant to enhance the swinging of the skirt. The footwear is another factor influencing the dancing; in South Transdanubia (Dunántul) the girls wearing cloth-soled flat slippers dance differently from those wearing heeled slippers, who live a distance of only ten miles away from those dancing in boots, in the northern regions. While women lived a rather secluded life and only within their family, the men had more opportunity for entertainment. In certain occupations it was also the custom to display strength and skill by dancing, and therefore the movements and expressions of the male dances are extremely rich. Three main types of male dance ca be distinguished:
soldiers' dances, pastoral dances, and dances performed with various instruments. In the group of soldiers' dances is the Haiduk (Hajdutánc) dance, performed with swords in the 16th century. It is known nowadays from historical documents. The still surviving Verbunk (Verbungos) has, however, preserved in memory the recruitments of bygone times. In the western part of the country the circular pattern still shows the circles which used to be joined by the
youngsters to be recruited, with the corporal in the middle. Although the central figure is sometimes omitted, both the music and the dance still show traces of the two original parts: the solo and the group dance. Some of the structurally well-defined Verbunk follow the traditional musical form, that is, by ever-changing variations. The joint clapping of hands, the slapping of boots
in intricated rhythms, and the simple movements performed by the larger number of dancers impart a certain monumentality to the dance. Verbunk has often been an inspiration to Hungarian composers. A classical example is Zoltán Kodaly's well known "recruiting dance" in his opera "Háry János." Several thousand
Roman Catholic Csángós of Gyimes live beyond the Carpathians, on the Moldavian slope, in the Gyimes Pass and in the mountains rising above it. They are a late offshoot of the Székely drive eastward (after Mádéfalvi veszedelem). Gyimesfelsolok, Gyimeskozeplok, and Gyimesbukk are their most important settlements. Their idiom of music and dance and the Hungarian part of their customs link them to the Székelys of Csik. Their traditional dances are the Recruiting dance, the Csardas, and the walk and turn of the Kettos (double). Another group of male dances comprises the pastoral (Herdsmen) dances. Nomadic stock raising was significant in Hungary up to the mid-19th century. Living outdoors winter and summer alike. Magyar pásztorok (herdsmen) had to rely on their own sill and strength to defend their herds against wolves and thieves. They acquired amazing skill in handling various tools, such as sticks, axes, and ropes. This skill was also demonstrated in their dances. The swift twirling of sticks or axes, the swishing and slashing movements with long whips, quick jumps, turns, and attacking and defending steps, as well as humorous playful elements, are characteristics of these dances. The dance style is adapted to the use of the tool, especially the stick held on the shoulders or crosswise on the back, or twirled around the fingers of one hand while slapping the boots with the other, or else used as a weapon for playful battle. Herdsmen's' dances are also performed without tools, as a sort of pantomime. In Northern Hungary (Felvidék) the swineherds have a popular dance: one of them throws his hat to the ground and dances around it as if defending his little pig from the thieves. Another dancer tries to snatch it but must be very careful not to be hit by the "owner," while both perform the typical "swineherd step" and the "public" provides the singing accompaniment. These dances used to be performed to the accompaniment of instruments made by the dancers themselves, such as bagpipes or citer. According to historical sources, the shepherds' dance has the longest history as a stage production. The great Hungarian poet Bálint Balassi is said to have danced it at the Pozsony Diet (Nemzetgyülés) of 1572 in front of the king. In the early 19th century, the peasant students of the first Agricultural Academy in Hungary, the Georgicon at Keszthely, demonstrated the swineherds' dances of the region to visitors from other parts of Hungary. The liveliest, most animated of Hungarian dances are the "couple dances." Newer variations are being added on to this day. In most villages the local dance in couples is nowadays called the Csárdás, a term coined in the 1840s by a journalist, but the origins of the Hungarian couple dances go back much further into history. Written documents testify to the popularity of the dance in all social layers from the kings to the peasants. Dancing entertainments were prohibited by the Church on many occasions in the Middle Ages.
In the early 19th century, the first enthusiastic ethnographers described
certain outstanding features of some dances and recorded a few dance names like Kopogós (reaping), Dobogós (stamping), and Tányéronforgó (twirling on the plate). In the 1830s and 1840s, when the national self-esteem grew higher, one of the expressions of this was the demand of the progressive people that along with Hungarian language and costume, Hungarian dances should also be introduced into the ballrooms. As a reaction to the Hapsburg oppression, not even the fashionable society dance the waltz met with enthusiastic reception, because it had reached Hungary via Vienna. It provoked an attempt to create a characteristically national society dance. We know of provincial balls where during the Carnival in 1843 nothing else was performed except the Csárdás. Its name was coined in 1842 when a correspondent of the Diet, writing about the ball of the nobility organized after the session, said that the dance performed there "was the same as the dance performed on Sundays by the peasant lads and girls in the Csárda (a village inn or pub)."
This name soon came to be applied to all couple dances, with additional distinctive attributes like "kemény csárdás" (tough), Kopogós csárdás (reaping), "félfordulós csárdás" (half-turn), etc. The Csárdás is characterized by the constant and free variation of steps and movements. It usually consists of a slow and a fast part. Folk dances are customary at family gatherings, weddings, and name days when the elder generation also joins in. Dances are also performed, however, on the occasions of entertainments such as harvest, vintage, etc. The original folk dance still exists in villages and towns all over the country. The Csárdás is danced throughout the country in the following succession of patterns: the boy and the girl dance in front of each other with his hand on her waist and hers on his shoulders. After various motifs (starting with two steps to the right and two steps the left), the couple whirls around or the girl pivots around the raised hand of the boy. In more archaic forms, the couples separate and the boy performs a spectacular solo while the girl turns about her own axis or imitates the steps of the boy with reduced dynamism. The dance usually ends in a twirling of the couple. Since the Csárdás is still popular, it is difficult to describe its proper characteristics. A comparative study of its variants will reveal the morphological features of all Hungarian folk dance dialects, including the Csárdás. From "Hungarian Civilization: A Short History with Bibliography" by Michael J Horvath, LL.D., M.S.L.S., University of Maryland, College Park
uple. Since the Csárdás is still popular, it is difficult to describe its proper characteristics. A comparative study of its variants will reveal the morphological features of all Hungarian folk dance dialects, including the Csárdás. From "Hungarian Civilization: A Short History with Bibliography" by Michael J Horvath, LL.D., M.S.L.S., University of Maryland, College Park