by Elizabeth Gariti
| Ah, Hungary. . . the sweet sound of the violin, men and women in village costumes doing the Czardas, the Circle Dance and the Verbunk. Many Americans have experienced Hungarian dance as the village dances in ballets like Swan Lake and Coppelia, but Hungary and the Balkans are known the world over for their soulful, intricate and ceremonial dances. “Go to Hungary,” my ballet teacher, Mr. Corvino, used to say, “They have the best dancing.” | | But, if you can’t travel to Budapest, you can experience and even dance Balkan dances at the Hungarian House, 213 E. 82nd St, (between 2nd & 3rd) every Friday night.The Hungarian house offers a whole program of Balkan Dancing with Folk Dance Fridays, the Balkan Café, Barn Dances and Beginner & Family Dance. |  | | Folk Dance Fridays and Beginner & Family Dance offers international folk dancing with emphasis on dance from the Balkan region. The dances are led by experienced teachers and dancers who offer on-the-spot teaching throughout the evening.I went to Beginner & Family Dance, where adults and children alike danced simple circle, line and couple dances (like the Polka). If you’ve never folk danced before, this is the best place to start, because the people are friendly and the dances very simple. The dances are comprised of a few basic patterns strung together and repeated throughout the song, so they’re easy to pick up. The people are very warm and welcoming to newcomers and dedicated to spreading the joy of folk dance to generations young and old.
The Balkan Café features live music with groups from the Balkan region, like Kal Romany from Belgrade, Romany music from Macedonia and Balkan dance music with Zagnut Orkestar. The Café offers the opportunity to experience excellent regional folk music in an informal setting, dance to live music and try some homemade ethnic snacks or a light dinner.
The Barn Dances take place one Thursday a month at the Hungarian House and also feature live music from a variety of folk regions, mostly American and Celtic. The Hungarian House is a charming 19th-Century building located in what used to be the Upper East Side’s Hungarian neighborhood. The organization is dedicated to preserving Hungarian culture in America, and the building has a surprisingly spacious (given its outward appearance) dance hall/auditorium (rumor has it the wooden vaulted ceiling was built onto the space as a studio for the niece of Isadora Duncan), meeting rooms, offices and a Hungarian reference and lending library. In addition to the dancing, they offer lectures, concerts, exhibits, and receptions, services to Hungarian immigrants, a Hungarian kindergarten, and Hungarian Boy and Girl Scouts.
The nature of folk dancing is inherent in building and developing community. So, if you’d like to take the first steps towards learning folk dancing, Balkan history or just answering the question, “Just what is a Czardas, anyway?”, check out Folk Dance Fridays at the Hungarian House. It’s lots of fun.
For more information about Folk Dance Fridays (including Balkan Café and Beginner & Family Dance) schedule and to get more information, visit: http://www.nycfolkdance.org. For information about Barn Dances, see: http://www.nycbarndance.com. |
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