Magyar News, 1993. szeptember-1994. augusztus (4. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1994-07-01 / 11-12. szám
JRAL HERITAGE and enthusiasm appeared to be inexhaustible. They initiated and organized the Pontozó Movement (annual festival-contests of Hungarian folk dancing); they decided to publish the Karikázó (a newsletter dealing with the problems and achievement of the folk dance movements). The Magyars have been instrumental in preparing and holding folk dance camps and seminars on an annual basis. During the years, they had kept amazing us, and they have earned our unqualified admiration. Through the Centrum Management, Judit and Kálmán have taken upon themselves to sponsor and organize performing tours of visiting Hungarian folk artists. As their latest “coup,” the Masters of Hungarian Folk Music—a sixmember instrumental ensemble of musicians of international stature—will visit the United States this summer. During their stay, they will appear in Connecticut also: a performance is scheduled for Friday, July 29th, to be held at the Hungarian Community Hall in Wallingford. ‘ Dr. Balazs B. Somogyi T Marosszék and A Mezöség dancing ebrations in a small Transylvanian village, Szók, the Táncház Movement was born. It first appeared in the capitol city of B udapest; subsequently it had spread to other parts of Hungary and eventually it had conquered Western Europe and Japan. The Táncház Movement has been successful in incorporating elements of Hungarian folk culture (music and dance) into the everyday life of people. The Táncház is intimate and informal in its approach—the participants wear jeans, sweaters and sneakers. It teaches, entertains and involves people and, in the process, it addicts them to Hungarian folklore. It may be held in a university or school auditorium, a village “kulturház” or an appropriate private residence. During this past Memorial Day week-end, I had the most pleasant opportunity to participate in an impromptu Táncház, held in Cheshire and conducted by Mr. Kálmán Magyar. This Táncház proved to be stimulating, intoxicating and memorable to the approximately one hundred participants—they affected * everyone present, regardless of age, creed ft or national origin. It should be emphasized that there have " been importantachievements in “transplanting” Hungarian folk dance into North America. This has been accomplished by the use of local resources and a great deal of sacrifice. The Hungarian Scout Organization of North America has a preeminent role in this field. The Scouts have most successfully incorporated folk dancing into their required, “living” curriculum. Three Ensembles: the Hungária of New York, the Kodály of Toronto and the Kárpátok of Los Angeles have also been on the forefront of this important cultural mission. During my term as co-founder and original director of the Hungária Folk Dance Ensemble of New York, I had the privilege of getting to know and getting to work with Kálmán and Judit Magyar. Their energy A GEM It is very difficult to gather an audience for a performance that is on the conservative side. If you add another feature, like it is in Hungarian, you could be sure that there will be unoccupied seats. Not that there aren’t enough Hungarians in the area. It could be the TV, it is difficult to drag people away, let the program be something usual with little substance, or maybe it is the ball game. Sometimes it is just plain comfort. Then, at a later time the same people come up to you complaining that there is nothing Hungarian going on. Well, this is human nature. Recently we had an evening that was sponsored by the Hungarian Cultural Society of Wallingford at the St. Emery Church Hall. You had to be Hungarian, not only speaking it, but also being able to follow a demanding literature. Péter Huszti, director of the Institute and College of Performing Art, was the speaker. Mr. Huszti is also a leading actor in Hungary. I must say that his talk about acting in general, also about the author, Sándor Márai and actress Eva Szörényi was very informative, personal and entertaining. Mr. Huszti showed two short films based on Marai’s short stories. Both were played by Szörényi and Huszti. The stories were masterpieces of a genius writer. The conflict that builds the tension of happening was constantly changing on different levels. Seemingly contradicting itself at every turn kept the audience mesmerized. Added to this was the acting that wasn’t just following the script but with deep understanding broadened the scope that made it unforgettable. A couple of weeks passed since and my mind still comes back to it. In every sense this art experience was a gem of the highest quality. The turn-out of people was very nice. To those who didn’t make the effort, all I could say that they missed out on something that would stay with them for a life-time. r r n Gntu!Ky, GREENGARDEN REALTY INC. 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