Folk dance is one of the most defining elements of Hungarian tradition and culture. For Hungarians, folk dancing is not just entertainment, it is the basis of being Hungarian. From csárdás, referred to as our national dance, to karikazó, Hungarians can be proud of their many folk dances.
Karikazu, or girls’ round dance
Karikazó is the oldest Hungarian folk dance. It is a round dance accompanied by singing that was the dominant form of dance in Europe during the Middle Ages. Usually, this dance is performed only by girls, who also sing during the performance. Ring dance is a standardized and organized dance performed by girls in a closed circle, according to mek.oszk.hu. Ways to form a chain: simple and crossed hand in front or back, arm and shoulder or waist.
It’s fun and bouncy
Lejes (catch, beat) is traditionally danced by non-sekele Hungarian men living in Transylvania, while women dance around them in small circles. It is accompanied by music, but the dancers do not sing during the performance. It is a fast-paced dance where the intricate and enclosed parts follow each other closely to the beat of the music. noklapja.hu. On occasions, they usually open with the groom, and then the couple follow.
We did
Since the mid-1700s, Austro-Hungarian armies recruited soldiers with musical entertainment in village taverns. The professional dancers in their uniforms impressed the locals and persuaded them to join the army. There are two main categories: our more improvisational single verbs and our more structured, classic circular verbs. The dance is divided into three parts: a slow part, a fast part, and a new sequential part at the end. Nowadays, the dance courses begin with a verb and then continue with a czarda. Well known examples in North America are Verbunk Gencsi and Verbunk Kapuvári.
Cardas
Perhaps one of the most famous Hungarian folk dances is the csárdás. Its name comes from the inns, which were the most important characteristic places of the era. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Hungarian nobility was looking for a way to distinguish themselves from the Austrian lords, he writes folkdancefootnotes.org. Thus, the spread of csárdás began with the “national” dance of the Hungarians. During the dance, the male dancers improvise one at a time, spin with their female partners, and then separate again. csárdás is a very popular traditional Hungarian dance, usually performed by Roma musicians.
castle
Just like czardás, Palátás was also born from verbunkos. However, the essential difference between the two dances is that they were attended by people of different social ranks. While the poorer classes drank in the taverns, the nobles built palaces for the noble courts.
source: mek.oszk.hu. noklapja.hu, folkdancefootnotes.org
