Local Steps

Location: Budapest
May 25, 2010
Adventure #17

Since coming to Hungary, I have narrowed down my favorite features of traditional folk dancing to two tenets: high kicks and jumps, paired with the ensuing clamorous stomps and the female dancer's spins, which make their white petticoats and floral patterned skirts billow out, forming their body into perfect bell shapes.

Fortunately, the Bihari Janos Folk Dance Ensemble who I had the pleasure of watching last week clomped and twirled enough to fulfill all my fancies. I went to the show "Dance Puts Roses Onto Your Cheeks" to see a new friend named Saci dance. She has been folk dancing for most of her life and her mother is one of Hungary's top folk choreographers, so I got to see both of their talents brought to stage in a springtime performance that featured Pentecost festival numbers along with many courting and wedding scenes.

Normally when I've seen the folk dance, I mainly admire the costuming, especially the colorful aprons, gilded button vests and beautiful ribbons tied into the women's French braids, but thanks to Saci's quick background on the art form, I got to dig in a bit deeper. I started to differentiate between some of Hungary's choreography and costumes and performances from other ethnically Hungarian regions like Transylvania. For instance, Hungarian dances favor graceful movements that emphasize the fullness of their beautiful skirts, whereas Transylvanian dancers don straighter skirts and black boots for both sexes so they can engage in quicker, fancier footwork. Now that I have an inside expert, I hope to continue expanding my knowledge about local flitting.