Hungarian dance refers to thefolk dances practised and performed by theHungarians, both amongst the populations native toHungary and also amongst theHungarian diaspora.
According toGyörgy Martin, a prominent folklore expert, Hungarian dances can be divided into two categories. The first refers to dances performed in theMiddle Ages while the second relates to the 18th and 19th century.[1] Hungarians have been noted for their "exceptionally well developed sense ofrhythm".[2] In the mid-19th century, MusicologistTheodor Billroth performed tests with troops of various nationalities stationed in Vienna and found that the Hungarian troops outperformed others in keeping time with music.[2]
Improvisation and energetic movements are often mentioned as being characteristic of Hungarian dance.[3][4] Daniel Berzsenyi wrote, "Its secret laws are not ordered by craft. The laws are its own and enthusiasm sets the limit."[3] Elizabeth Charlotte Rearick wrote, "The peasant dance is not one which is set absolutely according to rule; the dancer constructs his steps according to his mood and ingenuity."[5] Collections of the Folk Music Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and the national Ethnographic Museum of the State Folk Ensemble cover almost 10,000 dance variations from 700 Hungarian villages.[6]
TheReformed Church in Hungary was opposed to dancing, but theCatholic Church was less restrictive. Some Catholic authors wrote of their approval of dancing, particularly inheaven. One early 16th-century nun who described that "dancing will be essential there for the strong, well-built bodies of the saints," while in the 18th century, Catholic priestZsigmond Csuzy wrote "There would have to be dancing (in heaven) for the itching soles of the Hungarian whose whole life on earth is a dancing school."[7]
The dance arts of theancient Hungarians—like those of most nomadic peoples—have largely disappeared. Their dances and music were not recorded, and so we can only learn about them indirectly.[8]
Modern historians know relatively the most about the ancient melodic world of the Hungarians, since its legacy still lives on in the oldest layer ofHungarian folk music. Archaic Hungarian folk songs show striking similarities to the music of certainFinno-Ugric andTurkic peoples, which can only be explained by the idea that "the Hungarians brought it with them from theirancient homeland as an ancestral heritage along with theirlanguage" (Zoltán Kodály).[8] Any original, ancient elements in Hungarian dances have long since disappeared, leaving no clear connection to any currently known forms.[9]
The earliest known mention of Hungarian dance is found in records of the 926 raid on theAbbey of Saint Gall,[10] where the Hungarians, after their victorious attack, were reported to perform a joyful, combative dance. Later records indicate that dancing remained a significant part of Hungarian culture even after the adoption of Christianity: the 1279 Synod of Buda instructed priests not to allow people to break into dance inside the church, the churchyard or cemetery—an order that ultimately had little effect.[11][12] Dancing in cemeteries is further attested to in several other documents throughout the medieval period, like the 16th century workUngarischer oder Dacianischer Simplicissimus,[13] leading to the conclusion that cemetery-dancing was an integral ritualistic dance in folk tradition.[14] Some funeral dances, then performed before the traditional wedding feast, survived until at least the 1940s.[15]
From a historical standpoint, Hungarian folk dances can be divided into two distinct groups. The old stratum comprises dances attested to in sources before the 18th century and are presumed to go back to theMiddle Ages. This group, which includes types such as theKarikázó,Ugrós,Legényes and many others, shares connections withmedieval dance forms found throughout Europe. The new stratum comprises dances attested to in sources of the 18th century or later. These dances, including theVerbunk andCsárdás, have come to define the Hungarian national dance tradition both domestically and internationally.[1]
Academic interest in Hungarian folk dance is traced back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Intellectuals and writers likeMihály Csokonai,Dániel Berzsenyi,János Garay, andJános Arany noted and documented dance characteristics. By the early 20th century researchers compiled detailed analyses of Hungarian dances, focusing on their historical, formal, musical, and stylistic features. The systematic collection of Hungarian folk dances began in the early 1920s with pioneers likeLászló Lajtha andSándor Gönyey, who usedfilm andphonograph recordings to capture dances more precisely. TheGyöngyösbokréta movement of the 1930s helped propel public interest in the study of folk dances. After 1945, folk dance research gained state support which led to the establishment of key institutions like the Research Centre for the Humanities Institute for Musicology.[16]
In the 20th and 21st centuries, traditional Hungarian folk dances have gradually faded from everyday public use due to the effects ofurbanization and social change. As urban, fashionable dance styles spread, folk dances lost their cultural significance and were increasingly marginalized.[17] In response, a grassroots movement known as theRevival[18] emerged to preserve and revitalize these traditions. One of the most successful efforts has been the globalTáncház movement, which emerged in the 1970s and has created a space where ordinary people can learn and engage in traditional Hungarian dance styles.[19]
In the dance traditions of Hungarian villages across theCarpathian Basin the repertoire of folk dances was relatively small and consistent from one area to another. Typically, a community maintained only four or five core kinds: thecircle dance, the male dance, the slow and quick couple dance and dances with implements preserving the remnants of oldweapon dances. In spite of their modest number, the almost total absence of strict choreographic rules in solo and couple dances allowed for a wide degree of individual variation and improvisation.[20]
Historical sources of the 16th to 18th centuries often mention thehajdútánc,[21][22] a male dance accompanied by the skillful manipulation of a weapon and acrobatic steps closely interwoven with fighting movements. It was performed either solo or in groups, and even sometimes with women. By the early 18th century, however, it disappeared in its original form and gave rise to implement dances that retain only hints of their original martial character.
The remaining implement dances vary widely and may be performed solo, in groups or by couples. These dances, most often performed with sticks, shepherds’ crooks, or different axes, are referred to askanásztánc orbotoló[23] and can mostly be found in southernTransdanubia and in theAlföld, where it has retained a duel-like form and is also practiced by the localRomani population.[1] There also exists a variant danced with a broom, calledsöprűtánc.[24][25]
There exist several different types of circle and chain dance across the Hungarian language area. The girls’ circle dance, referred to askarikázó, is a circle dance performed by women only accompanied by the singing of folksongs. It is very closely connected with medieval European circle dances and is most popular in Transdanubia.[26] The rise of other dance forms over time has pushed this dance to the periphery of folk dance tradition, where it took the role of entertainment in the periods of fasting without dance and music, and in the intervals between dances during dance events. Thekarikázó consists of a few simple motifs, some of which resemble those used inFaroese dances, but most attention is given to singing, which is done by all women in unison.[20] In some areas without it, the girls' circle dance is substituted during dance events by thekörcsárdás, an offshoot of thecsárdás which is danced by both men and women in a circle.[26]
The many chain dances of theCsángó ofGyimes are collectively referred to ashéjsza. These dances are composed of short, repeating sections built from either longer compound motifs or short motif sequences, representing a simpler form ofBalkan chain dances.[26] There exist around ten different kinds.[27] The dances of theCsángó ofWestern Moldavia also include more than a dozen archaic circle dances.[26]
Theugrós encompasses a large group of dances closely related to thekanásztánc, with the main distinguishing factor being that it is danced without implements. The structures, forms and motifs of these two large families often overlap in both historical sources and in their recent variants.[1] Dances of theugrós type may be performed by men, women, or mixed groups, and may take solo, couple, quartet, or chain dance forms. There are many regional subtypes of theugrós, often known by different names:cinege,mars,dus,oláhos andféloláhos, among others.[24][28] These regional types can primarily be differentiated by the complexity of the motif repertoire.[26]
Theugrós dances have been found across the entire Carpathian Basin with the most characteristic variants being in Transdanubia.[29] Nevertheless, they are notably absent from some regions such as centralTransylvania, where they were superseded by thelegényes.[26] Certain forms, such as theféloláhos danced inGyimes, are part of a transition between the freer, more irregular and simplerugrós and the regulated and complexlegényes.[30]
The old male dance native to central Transylvania, thelegényes, is considered one of the most intricate male solo and group dance traditions in Eastern Europe. The main characteristic of the dance is its large wealth of unique motifs; some dancers master up to 30 different motifs with complex rhythms and intricate structure.[1] Despite its improvisatory character the dance is closely tied to the phrasing of the accompanying music, organized into eight-measure periods, calledpont, each concluded with closing formulae.[31] Girls accompany the male dance by shouting out rhymes to the music and often perform circle dances[26] which, in the region ofKalotaszeg, is calledsifitelés.
There are both slow and fast variants of thelegényes, which are often joined together during dance events. The rhythmically richer slow form, theritka legényes, is the characteristic male dance of theMezőség, and is typically paired with its fast counterpart, thesűrű legényes. There exist many other forms of thelegényes, which vary wildly across regions.[26]
The turning couple dances, broadly classified as theforgós-forgatós páros, are a collection of old-style couple dances of Western European origin that entered the Hungarian folk dance repertoire by the late 16th century. This archaic dance type has survived to the present day and forms an almost united dance tradition among theHungarians andRomanians of Transylvania and theSlovaks,Gorals and easternMoravians of theCarpathian Mountains. The new-stylecsárdás almost totally assimilated the turning couple dances across most of the Hungarian language area, and the two blend into one another even in the areas where the turning couple dances have survived.[32]
Some of the many turning couple dances include thelassú andfriss csárdás and thelassú cigánytánc orakasztós inMezőség; theforgatós orkorcsos inMarosszék; and theGyimesCsángólassú andsebes magyaros and the archaickettős, which incorporates both a marching dance and a turning dance.[27] The Hungarian and Romanian turning couple dances share many aspects in common and are sometimes completely identical to each other in terms of music, rhythm, motifs, and structure.[33]
Theverbunk is a male dance that developed alongside theverbunkos musical style from the mid-18th to the early 19th century.[34] Its origins lay in theHabsburg and laterAustro-Hungarian recruiting practice of theverbuválás, where young men were enticed to join the army by offers of music, dance, drink, wealth and noble rank.[35] Theverbunk dances known today are most likely the remnants of a male dance that was integrated into and greatly morphed by the historical recruiting dance. Theverbunk very quickly gained popularity among the noble elites and the peasantry; it became one of the most important elements of the developing national culture in theRomantic era during the 19th century.[36]
Its solo form is irregular in structure, rich in motifs and widespread across the Hungarian language area, but there also exist rare regulated variants danced in a circle or semicircle, which are to some extent related to the AustrianSchuhplattler.[1] Traditionally, dance events opened with theverbunk, though in later periods it was performed mainly on request.[26] In some areas, women also performed simpler versions of the dance.[27]
Thecsárdás is the national dance of Hungary and is regarded as the most important Hungarian folk dance.[37] It was popularized, reached its national status and was given its name in the early 19th century, but is nonetheless related to some old European couple dances from before the 18th century.[1] It was described by sources of the era as "similar to ever-changing flame-whirling, symbolizing unbound freedom."[36]
Thecsárdás consists of the slowlassú and the fastfriss sections,[38] which often share motifs. Thelassú csárdás is characterized by the two-step motif, calledcsárdáslépés, while some distinct motifs found throughout the entire dance are the half-turn with the bending of the knee calledlippentős and the playful releasing of the partner. There are also some rare variants, like thehármascsárdás, danced by a man and two women, and thekörcsárdás, danced in a circle.[1] Different regions have their own characteristic versions of thecsárdás, and, owing to its improvisatory character, the dance can differ greatly from one area to the next and often includes motifs from theverbunk.[26]
The dance cycle, known astáncciklus, is thesuite-like ordering of dances during a dance event. It is a half-hour to an hour long and most commonly formed from three to five dances traditionally used in a community. The dances are played in succession, connected without pauses or through momentary interruptions, in an order set by thetáncrend—the traditional order of dances in a dance cycle. The couple dances in the dance cycle are always performed with the same partner. This process lasts until the dancers and musicians become tired or run out of dances, after which a break starts. Then, other dances not traditionally included in the dance cycle may be performed sporadically with or without music, until the beginning of the next dance cycle.
Different styles mix together during a dance cycle, though usually old-style dances appear first, followed by new-style dances; and usually slower dances come before the faster ones—in the case of different dance types multiple times in a cycle. For example, in central Transylvania the slow and fast male dances are commonly followed by the slow and fast couple dances. Some foreign dances incorporated by the community, like thepolka, may also appear during the dance cycle.[39]
A dance rhyme, ortáncszó, is a short verse, usually two to four lines long, shouted—not sung—to the rhythm of the music. It serves as a method of self-expression during the dance, with themes ranging from the poetic and philosophical to expressions of love, pride, joy, sadness, irony, mockery, or even obscenity. Regardless of its content, the rhyme carries no social or personal consequences for the dancer shouting it.[40] Numerous collections of dance rhymes have been compiled and classified to varying degrees of academic rigor. One of the most prominent is GyulaPálfy's collection of around 1500 dance rhymes, gathered from multiple regions around the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[41]
The Hungarian folk dancerevival is asocial movement rooted in village traditions, drawing on dances and music documented mainly during the 20th century. Within the revival, these collections are learned and reproduced as recorded, which makes the dance and motif repertoire relatively fixed and unchanging.[42] Dancers of the revival movement participate in folk dancing as a way to express themselves, socialize, relax and connect with history.[43]
TheGyöngyösbokréta (Pearly Bouquet) was an artistic movement that organisedtheatrical performances of folk dances, music andfolk games by traditional villager dancers in major cities such asBudapest. It is considered an important precursor to the modern revival movement. The first performances were organised by Béla Paulini in 1931, and the movement quickly spread across most of the Hungarian language area. At its height, Paulini’sBokréta szövetség (Bouquet Association) was a well-organised national network with ample funding; through its village participants it accessed a vast heritage of folk art that would otherwise likely have been completely and irrevocably lost. It also published newspapers.[44]
By the 1940s the movement broadened folk art into a more complex, community-building genre in which folk theatre played a prominent role.[45] Historians date the end ofGyöngyösbokréta to 1944, though the association continued existing in a limited form until 1948. Throughout its entire existence, theGyöngyösbokréta was responsible for at least 200 folk shows and performances of traditional customs[44] by villagers from up to 100 townships.[16]
Thetáncház (“dance house”) is a public event where people gather to learn and dance Hungarian folk dances, usually to live music.[42] It is based on, and named after, the practice in the village ofSzék, where traditional dance houses were held regularly. The first modern urban dance houses were held in 1972, and the format quickly gained popularity.[46] Dance houses are both educational and entertaining, playing an important role in the proliferation of folk dancers and in the communal bonding of dance ensembles outside of festivals and stage performance.[47]
Sándor Timár, with help from György Martin, developed a pedagogical method for teaching authentic folk dances at dance houses, allowing for personal expression and improvisation while grounding practice in collections of authentic dances.[48] This "Táncház method" has since been placed on theUNESCORegister of Good Safeguarding Practices.[49] An estimated 50 dance houses are held weekly in Hungary, supplemented by 80–100dance camps per year, though the unreported count may be higher.[50]
The popularisation of stage renditions and shows of Hungarian folk dances began in the 1930s as a result of theGyöngyösbokréta movement,[51] though records of sporadic performances do appear between the 16th and 19th centuries.[52] After theSecond World War, professional folk dance ensembles were established with state support, though their performances reflected the politics of the era, utilizing folk dances in a stylized fashion only as set dressing to the wider artistic performance.[53] After the 1960s, emphasis shifted gradually towards authentic choreographies and productions, enabled by extensive collections and research.[54]
Today, folk dances are performed by amateur and professional ensembles at festivals, competitions and shows. Portrayals range from authentic to theatrical or stylised. Folk dance performance has been featured in media since the 1960s; notably, thetelevised competitionFölszállott a páva (The Peacock Has Taken Flight) enjoyed major popularity and sparked widespread public and academic discussion.[54]
Most stage performances are characterized by their reflections on the past; through the usage of props, sets and costumes they reflect an idyllic village setting, creating an environment that refers to a specific moment in the past, to a particular cultural group, dance repertoire, performance style, and way of life.[55]
Systematic, modern collections of Hungarian folk dances began in the late 1920s, greatly aided by theGyöngyösbokréta movement, and have continued up to the present day. Even in the early period, considerable efforts were made to capture authentic folk dances usingfilm cameras, detailed textual descriptions, and laterLabanotation.[16] Most collections were created duringfield trips to villages byethnochoreologists, who documented the dances of authentic performers who acquired their dance culture under traditional circumstances. Today, these collections are valuable not only to folk dance enthusiasts but also for research byethnographers.[41]
One of the largest and most significant collections is the Archives of Traditional Dances of the Research Centre for the Humanities Institute for Musicology, part of theHungarian Academy of Sciences. The dance archive—part of which is accessible online[56]—contained, as of 2016, 700 hours of footage on approximately 400,000 meters ofnegative,positive, andreversal prints, preserving dances by more than 10,000 dancers from 1,500 localities. Other important parts of the archives include the Dance Photograph Collection (39,500 photo negatives), several hundred thousand pages of documents in the Manuscript Collection, approximately 1,500 items notated with Labanotation or textually in the Dance Notation Collection (comprising about 35 hours of dance material), more than 13,000 items in the Motif Collection, and about 1,500 verses in the Collection of Dance Rhymes.[41]
Additional resources include theMozdulatokba vésett gyökerek (Roots Carved into Movements) project, which contains 2,557 photographs, 251 hours of sound recordings, and 634 hours of video recordings, 203 hours of which are available online;[57] and the Folklore Database, which cataloguesfolklore recordings from 1,472 unique locations, compiled from contributions by 639 collectors and contributors.[58] The Folk Music Collection of the Institute for Musicology is also notable, comprising approximately 20,000 hours of audio recordings, a large percentage of which are available online.[59]
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