I ended Part 2 of the wrap-up talking about the amazing reunion of Transylvanian tanchaz musicians on the last night of the festival.  But all weekend we were able to hear other musicians from Transylvania – not “tanchaz musicians” but village bands from Transylvania.

I first highlight the “Csuros Banda,” those relatively young musicians from the Kalotaszeg region, a few of whom have followed in their fathers’ (and grandfathers’) legendary footsteps.  Their featured violinist is Istvan “Kiscsipas” Varga, who graced America’s own Csipke Camp a few years ago, the latest member of the lineage of famous gypsy musicians from Kalotaszeg, but also present are Bela Arus and Rudolf Toni, together with the other great musicians of this band.  The Kalotaszeg is probably the most heralded region for its virtuosity and style (both in terms of music and dance), and this group of gentlemen do it great justice.  Their chordal patterns are contemporary, fresh, up-to-date – perhaps their grandfathers would be confused on what these “new” sounds are – but reflect the reality that these musicians are well-traveled, well-exposed to various cultures’ music, and open to exploration even within the “confines” of this relatively little musical region.  It sends a nice message:  while we should of course preserve the music of our ancestors, we should be open to carrying it on within the context of our contemporary culture.  This message is subject to great debate within the Hungarian folk music and folkdance scene (debates about the “purity” of folklore abound), but if Csuros Banda can add a contemporary twist to what they do, why can’t others?  (Don’t get me wrong – the “twists” are subtle and may not be appreciably considered “twists” by some people, but they are there.)

But then there was the Magyarpalatkai Banda, or the band from Magyarpalatka, featuring young violinist Florin Kodoba (who played for a weekend camp in Montreal a few years ago), whose sound still sounds like it did probably a hundred or more years ago.  Florin, too, carries on the traditions of his famous forefathers, but you can superimpose the sound and look of his style to the footage of his father and uncle, for instance, and it would be the same.  It was therefore fitting that the very last event in the Tanchaztalalkozo (before the after-party, that is) was the dancing by hundreds of couples around the arena floor (yours truly included) to the music of the Magyarpalatka band.  Their driving style, amazing rhythmic togetherness, and the palpable feeling of being rewinded into a place over a hundred years ago musically is quite the experience.  They are a mainstay of the Tanchaz movement at this point, and logically so!

I don’t want to forget to mention another set of young musicians – and by young I mean late teens-early twenties – the Zerkula Band playing music from Gyimes, who played at the Tanchaztalalkozo as well, fresh from their Montreal trip a few weeks before.  It was good to see these new friends, and they will become legendary as well, I’m sure, just as legendary as their late teacher, Janos Zerkula.

Finally, speaking of young people, there were lots of young people at Tanchaztalalkozo that graced the many stages there were.  From students of music schools, to young upstart bands; from the children of famous folkdancers and musicians sharing the stage with their parents, to village dance groups stocked with young talent.  It was truly endless.  And this is what gives me the greatest hope for the Tanchaz movement – which is celebrating its 40th year of life this year – and gives me the confidence that it will be around for generations to come.  Just as we here in North America try to pass on our traditions to our children, the same is going on in Hungary.  It is not on a large scale, and in fact it is on more of a “niche” scale, but that is enough to carry it forward.  The beauty of the Tanchaz movement is not its popularity – it is its purity, which can never truly be “popular” in the Justin Bieber sense.  This purity was on display at the Tanchaztalalkozo 2012, and hopefully will remain for years to come!

Duvo is comprised of four of Hungary’s most well-known, well-traveled, and adored musicians:  the violin-playing Hruz brothers (Denes and Szabolcs), and the dynamic duo of accompanists – Zsolt Nagy and Albert Mohacsy.  They are also joined by vocalist Julia Kubinyi on their recordings and most of their shows.  We had the pleasure of hearing them in one of the intimate small hall venues with a CD release concert of their new recording “Van meg benne.”  It was a wonderful, energetic concert, typical of Duvo – playing a wide array of music, from “nota” to archaic Mezoseg melodies, high-octane and entertaining as usual.  I especially enjoy bands that have traveled widely throughout North America give concerts in Hungary, because they are able to emcee the show in a more detailed, thorough way in their native Hungarian rather than picking the band member that speaks the best English give very cursory introductions to the numbers while they are on tour.  This adds to the overall concert atmosphere and understanding, and I always learn much more this way.  Suffice it to say, the comfort food of Duvo was delicious as usual!

Duvo also played in the arena stage during the weekend, including accompanying the “Minden Magyarok Tanca” (Every Hungarian’s Dance) performance.  This performance, which my wife and I were a part of this year, is the brainchild of folkdance expert Norbert “Cimbi” Kovacs, who was struck with the idea last year (in 2011) to extend an open invitation to dancers who otherwise attend the Tanchaztalalkozo as audience members to put on a costume and dance on the large arena stage – with the condition that these dancers have to be from outside of Hungary!  This year there were dancers from Switzerland, Germany, Transylvania (Romania), North America, Austria, and I’m sure I’m missing some others.  There were two sets of improvised dances from Dunantul and Kalotaszeg performed.  The end result is not a flashy, well-choreographed and well-polished presentation.  Rather, it is a celebration of the fact that the Tanchaz movement has extended the reach of its tentacles to the entire world, and the Tanchaztalalkozo beckons “home” those that the Tanchaz movement has enraptured, and places them on the stage.  Thank you to Cimbi for organizing this effort, which is now in its second year running, and hopefully many more to come!

Speaking of performers not from Hungary, the final portion of the Tanchaztalalkozo featured a stunning performance of Tanchaz musicians from Transylvania.  It began with probably the most popular Transylvanian-based Tanchaz band – Heveder – together with one of the founding fathers of the Transylvanian Tanchaz movement, Istvan “Gazsa” Papp – in a rendition of Heveder’s classic Orkoi gypsy music arrangement.  But then came the big surprise – musicians, “young” and “old” from Transylvania, joined Heveder and Gazsa on stage, from Uszturo to I-don’t-know-who, playing amazing Kukullomenti and Szaszcsavasi music.  What an image it was – Gazsa in the middle, surrounded by all those who have come after him.  It was a proud moment for all of us who have a special place in our hearts for Transylvania and what it means to the Tanchaz movement.  What a way to end the festival!

My third and final blog entry of the Tanchaztalalkozo 2012 wrap-up will follow in a few weeks, stay tuned!

First, a disclaimer.  There was so much going on during the 2-day festival at Papp Laszlo Sportarena that it is likely there were great bands, dancers, and moments that I simply missed because I couldn’t be at two places at one time.  Obviously I can only comment on those things that I witnessed myself!  And I witnessed a bunch of things, so this wrap-up is pretty limited in scope.

Now down to business.

This was the first time I ever heard Szeret Zenekar, which at the Tanchaztalalkozo featured Balazs Vizeli (violin), Daniel Szabo (cimbalom), Laszlo Mester (kontra), Gergo Csoban Szabo (bass), and singer Gabriella Tinter.  Wow.  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but this group of musicians gel so well together, create so much tightness and excitement, virtuosity meets simplicity, perfect choice of repertoire, and I can go on.  In my mind, right now Balazs Vizeli is probably one of Hungary’s top three folk violinists, and he’s able to show his stuff with this accompaniment team behind him.  And we can’t forget Gabriella, who now boasts her own solo CD – she not only knows how to present note-for-note and sound-for-sound the music of the various villages from where Szeret’s music is drawn, but she knows how to entertain and carries herself incredibly well in front of this group of musical giants.  Needless to say, I was more than impressed with Szeret, and will be following their work very closely.

I wasn’t surprised to hear violinist Istvan “Szalonna” Pal and his band (“Szalonna es bandaja“), whom I’ve heard before as the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble’s band, but never before in a solo concert.  It turns out they were widely in demand during Tanchaztalalkozo, accompanying dancers during the Saturday night Gala performance but also various dance groups and teachers during the weekend.  This is of course not surprising.  Szalonna and his musical gang are among the busiest musicians of all in Hungary – they are consistent and dependable, they play the music of all the various regions as authentic as anyone, and they understand stage presence and how to roll out a performance.  It was especially nice to hear Szalonna’s father, Lajos Pal, with his accordion and amazing voice give the audience a special treat.  It was good to see

I greatly enjoyed Andras Berecz‘s concert at the Muveszetek Palotaja which opened the Tanchaztalalkozo.  Andras’ ability to spin a yarn with his storytelling is without peer in Hungary; and to top it off, he was joined by some amazing musicians, including a shockingly beautiful and moving set of Kalotaszegi hajnali tunes featuring this All-Star lineup:  Csaba Okros, Tamas Gombai, Balazs Vizeli, Miklos Molnar, Laszlo Kelemen, Laszlo Mester, Antal “Puma” Fekete, Geza Penzes, and Robert Door.  It was quite mind-blowing.  And this was just the first half of the concert – the second half featured the Honved Tancszhinhaz‘s performance of its director, Zoltan Zsurafszky’s Kalotaszeg (Elo Martin Archivum) choreography.  This was a perfect night of storytelling, music, song, and dance.

To be continued in the next two blog entries, stay tuned!

America’s longest-running multicultural song and dance company, the Tamburitzans is a unique ensemble of talented young folk artists dedicated to the performance and preservation of the music, songs, and dances of Eastern Europe and neighboring folk cultures.  Their performances routinely include Hungarian and Transylvanian material as well.  The beauty of the group is that the 35 or so performers are full-time students who receive substantial scholarship awards from Duquesne University, with additional financial aid provided by Tamburitzans Scholarship Endowment Funds.

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Tamburitzans houses one of the world’s finest museum collections of international folk artifacts and library resources.  While I was in the group from 1991 to 1995, my eyes were opened to the beauty of the folklore of the countries throughout Eastern Europe – well beyond Hungary, which is what I was most familiar with growing up.  It led me to explore and come to a great appreciation of music of the Balkans.  I owe a huge debt of gratitude for the friendships and experiences I gained while with the group.

Happy Anniversary Tamburitzans, and I hope for many more years of continued success!!!!

For more information about the performances on March 10, and to order tickets which I believe are still available, visit the show’s web page.   The theme of the show is “Uzenet,” or “The Message,” focused around the commemoration of the March 15, 1848 Hungarian revolution, but that is only the backdrop of this show which will feature three generations of dancers, musicians, and singers, with returning former members of both groups (including myself), in an exciting, humorous yet touching display of Hungarian culture at its finest in America.

The American/Canadian tour of Magos will take place in April to May 2012, throughout North America.  Check back here soon for dates as they are solidified!

Magos is one of Hungary’s brightest and upcoming bands in the Hungarian folk music scene. They are a part of the generation of folk musicians who may be the last links to the line of great masters of folk music who lived and preserved folk music for centuries, in the remotest villages of Hungary and Transylvania. Now it is their generation who are called to keep the authentic folk music alive and pass the heritage to future musicians. The musical philosophy of Magos is to learn and present Hungarian folk music in its archaic form and share it with future generations.

The band was selected by a distinguished group of judges over five months of competition involving some of Hungary’s top folk musicians, culminating in an internationally televised final round last year in Budapest, as part of the FOLKBEATS talent search competition. Out of almost 100 competing groups, they won the best folk music band award. The winning prize – a North American tour.

Magos’s repertoire is rooted in authentic Hungarian music, also known as “Táncház music,” from the Carpathian basin, including Hungary, Transylvania and parts of Slovakia. Where possible, the group’s performance will conclude with Hungarian folkdance teaching and a glimpse into the “Táncház music” phenomenon, through which the audience experiences the wonderful Hungarian culture not ONLY by listening, but also by participating – the way it should be.

The group’s members are:

Csaba Soós – violin

Márton Kovács – violin

Ágnes Enyedi – vocal

Tamás Enyedi – cimbalom

Márton Fekete – brácsa

Dávid Horváth – bass

The legendary dancers from the Gyimes valley region of the Carpathian Mountains, Ferenc Sára and Zsuzsanna Varga, will be teaching dances from their hometown’s region.  They will be joined by the members of the Zerkula Band from Gyimes, named after Zerkula Janos, the great (now deceased) blind fiddler from the Gyimes region.

All day, you can learn the dances and music from Gyimes.  At night, the Gyanta Band and other musicians from North America will be joining in for the famous, legendary Montreal-style all-night tanchazes.  On Saturday, February 25, America’s first-ever “Gyimes Ball” will happen – you will be surprised for sure.  Contemporaneously with the adult teaching sessions, there will sessions geared towards children.

The location of this weekend workshop is serene – Centre Notre Dame de Fatima features nice lodging, good food, a great atmosphere, and winter activities (of course!).  And a great downhill sledding hill and ice skating.

Gyimes is a fascinating place.  It is geographically isolated deep within the Carpathian mountains, and its proud Hungarian population have preserved its music and dances through many periods, from the middle ages (circle/line dances), baroque -renaissance periods (turning dances), and 19th century (verbunk-men’s dances).  It is basically a tour through the history of the last several centuries.  The music is unique as well, featuring the violin or flute/recorder on melody, with a percussive instrument known as the “uto-gardon” (percussive cello) serving as the accompaniment.

The workshop is hosted by Montreal’s Bokreta Hungarian Dance Ensemble.  Visit their website to register quickly, as space could well fill in fast, and keep a look-out for them on their Facebook page.

See you there!

Gazsa Band will be the musicians!  Dance teachers will be Csaba Taba (best name in folkdance) and Erika Fejer.

Material will be Sarkozi and Ordongosfuzesi, with of course America’s best tanchazes every night!

Camp dates are July 7 to 14, 2012, in Sauk Valley Camp in Brooklyn, Michigan, as usual.

Great band, great dancers, and fortified by North American musicians and dancers, spearheaded by Gyanta and tanchazes coordinated by yours truly.

You’ll won’t want to miss this one!  Kids are particularly welcome at this camp!!!

Stay tuned at www.csipke.org as the material will eventually be updated and registration will be available.  For now, check out the camp’s Facebook page.  And spread the word to your friends!!!

We owe a debt of gratitude, as always, to the Csipke Dance Camp for putting all of this together for us every year!  And they consistently knock it out of the park!!!

• “P.1: The Táncház method for teaching folk music and dance is an effective way to maintain, transmit and hence safeguard intangible cultural heritage and involves a wide range of organizations and communities across places and generations;

• P.2: The flexibility of the Táncház method has made it possible for it to operate at the national, regional and international levels, albeit until now largely within Europe, Japan and the United States; it also has the potential of promoting North-South cooperation because its framework is readily adaptable;

• P.3: The method encourages creativity and revitalization in a model of transmission and innovation that is both flexible and participatory; supported with research and documentation, it aims to raise awareness and ensure the viability of traditional values of dance and music in modern society;

• P.4: The programme employs effective methods of transmission and diffusion to keep traditions alive among the young within Hungary and beyond; its effectiveness and viability have been assessed by quantitative indicators;

• P.5: Táncház involves people of all generations and backgrounds from rural community members to urban youth as well as researchers and mediators, and anyone who recognizes Táncház as places of practice of intangible cultural heritage and is committed to the transmission of the element;

• P.6: The transmission method used by the programme is flexible and has the advantage of being readily adaptable to diverse lifestyles and for different publics….”

The movie stars and is directed and co-produced by Endre Hules, with cinematography by Oscar-award winning Hungarian cinematographer Zsigmond Vilmos.  But that’s not all – because this movie is steeped in Hungarian music and dance, you will see (and hear) musicians and dancers that have traveled widely throughout North America in the past – it’s like seeing old friends again.

Choreography, for example, is by Zoltan Zsurafaszki.  The dancers are primarily from the Honved Tancszinhaz (lots of them formerly from the Budapest Dance Ensemble), including well-traveled luminaries such as Florian Hajdu, Tamas Szappanos, Iren Deffend, Eva Gomori, Attila Tompa, Gabor Valach, and Andras Gelencser. The dancing is just beautiful.  And I was surprised to see the two female leads – not folkdancers themselves – do a fantastic job with the tanchaz material.

The original music is primarily by world/folk musician Ferenc Kiss, who also coordinated the authentic folk music selections on the soundtrack, including the music of our very own Eletfa Hungarian Folk Ensemble of New York/New Jersey.  I found the soundtrack to be very creative (mostly in the “world music” idiom with tasteful instrumentation) and highly complementary of what was going on on-screen.  Cameos by folk musicians, if you look carefully, include appearances by Gazsa (Istvan Papp), Peter Arendas, and others.

But don’t be fooled, this is not just a music/dance film.  It’s much more.  It’s a professionally-done and beautifully shot and acted tale any non-folky fan would enjoy.  The IMDB summary:  ”There were two brothers – two dancers – in Communist Hungary. One defected, the other stuck it out. One gave his soul to commerce, the other to the Party. After twenty years, they meet again. And the dance begins.”  The movie has a lot to say about Hungary, America, and a bit about history and hopefully the future.  (I just saw this movie for the first time last week as part of the European Union Film Festival in Toronto, it was well received by the large audience.)

You can see 2 trailers and read more about the movie here, and stay tuned on news regarding where it’s playing in the future here.