The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1984 (11. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1984-08-01 / 8. szám
The New Jersey AMCRICAN-HUNGARIAN A Special Section for the American-Hungarian Community in New Jersey “PONTOZO 84” HELD AT RUTGERS UNIVERSITY NEW BRUNSWICK - “Pontozo ’84”, a two-day Summit Festival of Hungarian Folk Dances and Music, was recently held here at Rutgers University under the joint-sponsorships of the American Hungarian Folklore Centrum, the Canadian Hungarian Folklore Association, and the Hungarian Civic Association of New Brunswick, New Jersey. Held every two years, either in the United States or Canada, it is the biggest event of its kind to take place in North America. THE FIRST DAY “Pontozo ’84” opened this year with a Gala Concert in which ensembles from the United States and Canada performed almost of the cycles of Hungarian folk dances known today before a large, enthusiastic audience comprised of the general public, Hungarian ethnic groups, and others. The ensembles came from Thunder Bay, Mackinaw, and Quebec City in Canada; and from Texas, Indiana, California, and elsewhere in the United States. A special attraction this year was the participation of Zoltán Zsurafszky, the former lead dancer of the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble and now the director of the Párhuzam Ensemble in Hungary. He presented two of the most complicated and demanding dances performed by men — the “Legenyes” and the “Verbunk” — and, together with his partner, Zsuzsanna Vince, demonstrated the beautiful coordination and cooperation that are the essence of Hungarian Couple Dancing. During the evening of the first day, a Saturday, a “Táncház”, or Hungarian Folk Dance Party, was held at which the audience was given an opportunity to participate in free-for-all dancing. Music was provided by the Delibab Orchestra from Debrecen, who are currently making a three-month tour of the United States and are scheduled to appear at the Epcot Center in Florida and at the World’s Fair in New Orleans. Throughout the gala August, 1984 Erika Rigo and Gyula Hajas of Jászberény, Hungary, starred in a special performance. evening, a variety of home-made, Hungarian specialties, provided by local residents, was served. THE SECOND DAY The second day of “Pontozo ’84”, which was a Sunday, featured the “Pontozo Solo and Couple Dance Festival”. A symposium of Hungarian folk dances and music, the audience was shown the way single dancers and couples perform the dances from many regions of Hungary and Transylvania. Both Zoltán Zsurafszky and Zsuzsanna Vince demonstrated single and couple dances. While the audience was tremendously impressed with what they saw and heard, and demonstrated it with their applause and “bravos”, one of the most impressive points that was brought home to them one and all was the number of young American-Hungarians and Canadian- Hungarians who participated in the symposium. WORTHY OF INTEREST AND SUPPORT The prime movers behind “Pontozo ’84”, as well as the promoters of the revitalization of ethnic and public interest in Hungarian folk dances, folk music, and folk art throughout North America, are Judith and Kalman Magyar of the American Hungarian Folklore Centrum in Passaic, New Jersey, which is a division of the American Hungarian Educators’ Association. The “Centrum”, which is also a museum, is worthy of interest and support from the Hungarian community in America. For further information, write or phone the American Hungarian Folklore Centrum, P.O. Box 262, Bogota, New Jersey 07603 (Telephone: 201-836-4869). Page 7
