Excerpts from the book “Hungarian Ethnography and Folklore” written by Iván Balassa and Gyula Ortutay. Video examples selected from the collections of the Hungarian Heritage House and the Institute for Musicology by Eszter Szabó.
OLD STYLE DANCES
Girls’ round dances
“The circle is always tight. Dancers hold each other’s hand in various ways and, unlike the Balkan forms, they do not open the circle. Meanwhile, three kinds of movement are made. They all step inward or outward, so that the entire circle seems to be undulating. At other times they turn the circle in two ways. In the first they make two steps forward, one backward, but still moving forward with this asymmetrical form. Sometimes they all move around rapidly, taking small steps, at the same time regularly changing the direction of the ring. The roundels of girls are danced to their own singing.”
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Karikázó Őcsény, 1973.04.21. MTA Ft. 0816.02 |
Karéj Egerszolát, 1976.05.23. MTA Ft. 0929.12 |
Fércelés Drágszél, 1968.08.20. MTA Ft. 0641.03 |
Leánykörtánc Magyarlapád MTA Ft. 0681.25 |
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Karikázó Nyíri, 1973.08.18. MTA Ft. 0825.02 |
Karikázó Sióagárd, 1973.04.23. MTA Ft. 0818.01 |
Körtánc Domaháza, 1976.05.23. MTA Ft. 0929.36 |
Karélás Hosszúhetény, 1975.11.23. MTA Ft. 0916.06 |
Herdsmen’s dances
“[…] the herdsmen’s dances are a direct continuation of the Heyduck dances, and in general of weaponed dances. These are known not only in Hungary but also among the Slovaks, Gorals, Ruthemans, and the Rumanians of Transylvania. Today traces have remained in the north-eastern linguistic region and in the central part of Transdanubia.
The most beautiful forms of the cudgel (botos) dances are known from the north-eastern fringes of the Great Plain. The most important accessory of the dance is the herdsman’s cudgel or stick. Dancers may dance alone, while trying to demonstrate their virtuosity at twirling and jumping over the cudgel. Or they may dance the paired men’s dance with the cudgel, where they fence duel-like with each other to the rhythm of the music. Naturally, the striking and defending always creates new situations, so that there is much improvisation in the dance. More rarely, these dances are danced by a couple. The man playfully attacks the woman with the cudgel, who dodges away while trying to hinder the twirling of the weapon.”
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Botoló Ura, 1968.10.13. MTA Ft. 0644.04 |
Kanásztánc Alap, 1973.04.24. MTA Ft. 0819.05 |
Laskanyújtós tánc Györgyfalva, 1983.09.11. MTA Ft. 1153.26 |
Seprűtánc Madocsa, 1968.05.12. MTA Ft. 0624.06 |
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Üvegestánc Berzence, 1981.11.20-22. MTA Ft. 1112.49 |
Botoló Nyírvasvári, 1975.09.07. MTA Ft. 0894.20 |
Baltástánc Nagydobos, 1955-56 MTA Ft. 0249.15 |
Pásztorbotoló Nagydobos, 1955-56 MTA Ft. 0249.06 |
Leaping dances
“The leaping dance (ugrós) relates in many regards to herdsmen’s dances, except that it is always danced without accessories. In antiquity, ugrós often also meant dance in general. Therefore, we do not always know what exactly lies behind this designation. Certain of its forms were already mentioned in the 17th century: “The highest lords leap the dance with woman folk.” The leaping wedding dance of Transdanubia (lakodalmi ugrós) is one of the most widely spread forms, although it is really a procession dance, performed when they follow the bride to church. The jumping dance of the Great Plain is danced to the same rhythms as the swineherd song, and a similar type of dance is known by the Bukovina Székelys.”
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Páros kanásztánc Berzence, 1953.05.22-26. MTA Ft. 0203.02. |
Páros kanásztánc Berzence, 1981.11.20-22. MTA Ft. 1112.52c |
Háromugrós Szeremle, 1979.01.20-21. MTA Ft. 1010.11 |
Cinege Bogyiszló, 1976.11.27-28. MTA Ft. 0945.09. |
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Ugrós Sárpilis, 1952.02.09. MTA Ft. 0174.07a |
Mars Drágszél, 1953.05.06. MTA Ft. 0200.01 |
Mars Drágszél, 1968.08.20. MTA Ft. 0641.01 |
Dus Szany, 1971.04.17. MTA Ft. 0759.05 |
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Oláhos Apátfalva, 1956.02.24. MTA Ft. 0277.07 |
Oláhos Tápé, 1952.03.09. MTA Ft. 0154.03 |
Ugrós Alap, 1973.04.24. MTA Ft. 0819.02 |
“Verbung” Hosszúhetény, 1975.11.23. MTA Ft. 0916.07 |
Transylvanian men’s dances
“The more primitive versions of the young men’s dance (legényes) are known among the Székelys; however, this type of solo dance developed in its complexity in the Hungarian villages of Kalotaszeg and Mezőség. It is part of a whole dance programme: the young men dance it in front of the band, while the girls waiting to dance surround the lads in a rotating circle. […] The legényes is one of the most developed, extremely varied forms of dancing. Its music and wealth of motifs are equally connected to the Heyduck and to the herdsmen’s dances, and, after assimilating several European influences, it became the forerunner of the recruiting dance and its music.”
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Silladri Andrásfalva, 1978.06.17-18. MTA Ft. 0990.31a |
Féloláhos Csíkszentdomokos, 1995.11.28. HH 1295565 |
Sűrű magyar Bonchida, 1969.05.31. MTA Ft. 0682.08 |
Pontozó Lőrincréve, 1968.06.09. MTA Ft. 0625.01 |
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Pontozó Magyarbece, 2001.09.03. HH 130892 |
Legényes Bogártelke, 1968.07.28. MTA Ft. 0637.01 |
Legényes Méra, 2001.09.10 HH 1305696 |
Sűrű tempó Szék, 1969.03.09. MTA Ft. 0671.27 |
Slow men’s dances
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Ritka tempó Szék, 1969.03.09-10. MTA Ft. 0671.28 |
Verbunk Makfalva, 1968.06.09. MTA Ft. 0625.03 |
Verbunk Szucság, 2001.09.10 HH 1306569 |
Verbunk Nyárádmagyarós, 2003.07.11. HH 1185186 |
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Lassú pontozó Magyarlapád, 2001.09.03. HH 1308723 |
Szegényes Magyarózd, 1990.08.26. MTA Ft. 1366.06 |
Lassú magyar Bonchida, 1969.05.31. MTA Ft. 0682.07 |
Verbunk Gyimesközéplok, 1980.08.02. MTA Ft 1063.05 b |
Old couples dances
“Certain paired dances must also be briefly discussed, versions of which can be found in different parts of the linguistic region as the last remnant of the old style. Various western dances also affected these, and most of them can be viewed as a transformation, a Hungarianization of some of them. Among its motifs there are several resembling the csárdás, but differences in rhythm still preserve old traditions. Most of these dances have survived in Transylvania, where the rapid spread of the csárdás did not push out the older forms with such boisterous speed as it did in other parts of the linguistic territory. In Transylvania, the melodies of former paired dances are often sung to the more novel forms, such as the slow dance of Mezőség or the gypsy dance, and while singing the couples walk about for a while to the rhythm of the music.”
Slow walks
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Kettős jártatója Sötétpatak, 2003.10.24. HH 1183877 |
Lassú Szék, 2002.11.22. HH 1306089 |
Lassú cigánytánc Magyarpalatka, 1987.03.01. MTA Ft. 1246.11 |
Lassú cigánytánc Magyarpalatka, 2004.03.26. HH 1061262 |
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Lassú magyaros Sötétpatak, 2003.10.24. HH 1184110 |
Lassú magyaros Sötétpatak, 2003.10.24. HH 1183887 |
Lassú Szék, 1969.03.09. MTA Ft 0671.40 b |
Kettős jártatója Gyimesközéplok, 1980.08.02. MTA Ft 1063.04 a |
Spinning dances
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Kettős sirülője Sötétpatak, 2003.10.24. HH 1184884 |
Forgatós Székelykál, 2003.07.12. HH 1184638 |
Csárdás Szék, 1969.03.09-10. MTA Ft. 671.29 |
Sebes magyaros Sötétpatak, 2003.10.24. HH 1183893 |
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Szökős Magyarszovát, 2004.09.24. HH 1184260 |
Forduló Vajdaszentivány, 1990.07.22. MTA Ft. 1363.01 |
Forduló Vajdaszentivány, 2004.01.24. HH 1067926 |
Gyors forgató Jobbágytelke, 1971.08.20. MTA Ft 0761.01.b |
NEW STYLE DANCES
“The new Hungarian dance style reached maturity in the 19th century, but like the new folk music, it was closely linked to the traditions of previous centuries. Western paired dances became well known and served as a foundation for the development of new dances. The rhythm of dance music changed, the 4/4 rhythm being replaced by 2/4 rhythms, while for the faster dances the accelerating eighth note was added.”
Verbunk
“The recruiting dance included the elements of several former men’s dances (young men’s dance, leaping dance, etc. ); its unified style developed in the last century. It was generally the opening dance in the dance programme, and somewhat prepared the way for the paired dances. Two kinds can be differentiated. One is free in structure, assuring plenty of opportunity for improvisation and for displaying individual dancing skills. […] The recruiting dance of the more regulated form consists of fewer and mostly slow and brisk parts. They dance it in a half circle under the direction of the dance leader.”
Freeform solo verbunk
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Verbunk Nagyecsed, 1968.08.20. MTA Ft. 640.1a |
Verbunk Turkeve, 1956.10.11. MTA Ft. 266.4 |
Verbunk Szilice, 1981.09.26. MTA Ft. 1332.10 |
Verbunk Bag, 1955.06.26. MTA Ft. 235.2a |
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Verbunk Decs, 1952.04.05. MTA Ft. 164.1 |
Magyar verbunk Nagyecsed, 1968.08.20. MTA Ft 0640.01 d |
Székely verbunk Marossárpatak, 1969.05. MTA Ft 0679.08 |
Magyar verbunk Tardoskedd, 1966.12.28. MTA Ft 0590.06 |
Structured verbunk
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Körverbunk Halászi, 1955.10.16. MTA Ft. 254.1 |
Körverbunk Kapuvár, 1971.04.17. MTA Ft. 759.7 |
Körverbunk Kapuvár, 1905.05.10. MTA Ft. 349.9 |
Körverbunk Kunszentmiklós, 1968.06.20. MTA Ft. 639.1 |
Csárdás
“The best known dance of the Hungarians, the csárdás, expresses in its name (csárda, tavern) the opposite of the palotás (palota, palace), the dance of the nobility. It came into general fashion in the second quarter of the 19th century […]. The csárdás assimilated in itself the numerous traditions of the various paired dances which were increasingly gaining ground from the Renaissance period on. The music itself grew out of the music of recruiting dances, to the tunes of which a great many different kinds of csárdás were danced among Hungarian ethnographical groups. Only men have an active role in paired dances, and in the Hungarian csárdás of 4/4 beat, they do a movement at every quarter-value. The basic double step is partly repeated, partly the couples spin around in different fashions. As a relic of the old round dances, 2 to 4 pairs sometimes join together and dance in a circle.”
Couples csárdás
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Csárdás Madocsa, 1968.05.12. MTA Ft. 624.4 |
Csárdás Nagyecsed, 1968.08.20. MTA Ft. 640.2 |
Lassú és gyors csárdás Méra, 2001.09.10. HH 1306755 |
Lassú és gyors csárdás Türe, 1969.04.11. MTA Ft. 690.43 |
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Csárdás Kapuvár, 1905.05.10. MTA Ft 0349.10 |
Lassú csárdás Bag, 1955.06.26. MTA Ft 0235.12 a |
Csárdás Magyarlapád, 1969.05.26-27. MTA Ft 0681.28 |
Lassú és friss csárdás Rimóc, 1984.03.29. MTA Ft 1164.05 |
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Lassú Vajdaszentivány, 1990.07.22. MTA Ft 1363.10 |
Gyors csárdás Csíkszentdomokos, 1995.11.28. HH 1295589 |
Lassú csárdás Szilágysámson, 2004.02.20. HH 1184306 |
Triple csárdás
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Szásztánc Magyarszovát, 1997.10.18. HH 1304701 |
Hármas csárdás Geszteréd, 1955.12.17. MTA Ft. 0281.14 |
Circle csárdás
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Szöktető Jobbágytelke, 1971.08.20. MTA Ft 0761.01 c |