Holy cinnamon sticks, Batman!

The final countdown

For the past week, my kitchen has smelled like cinnamon. Warm and spicy. The only thing that has managed to overpower it is when we cook with garlic. And then it comes back. The source? The cookie-like cinnamon ornaments that have been hanging around drying, waiting to be decorated.

As part of the launch for Foundling Folk, I’m doing a bit of fundraising for the Kodály Ensemble at their fall táncház this weekend. I’ve made a ton of Christmas ornaments by blending Hungarian traditional honey cakes (mézeskalács) with a more permanent (but equally scrumptious) technique using cinnamon dough. You can seen the photos in the stunning collage above (ha!).

I love this stuff! It’s super to work with – just like baking cookies! But the dough hardens into a permanent shape that will keeps its lovely cinnamon spiciness for years! Then I get out my paints and whip up a little decoration on them and – bazinga! – you’ve got a folksy Christmas decoration!

So, while I’ve been busy getting Foundling Folk ready for the táncház, I’ve completely forgotten about us getting ready for the táncház.

Getting all spruced up

 

Personally, I don’t make as much fuss about getting ready for a táncház as I used to. Probably has to do with the fact that I’m no longer munchkin-less and that my prep time for just about any event is limited to what I can do during a quick 15 minute escape. I used to pride myself in being able to get out of the house within 20 minutes, but those days are long gone!

I’m one of those people I mentioned in my previous post who likes to sit on the fence when it comes to what to wear to a táncház. Sometimes I’ll go for a tunic and leggings, other times, a skirt is a must. Since I’m performing with UngroRom, I’ll probably be going in a skirt. Maybe a change of clothes for later (I tend to lose patience with skirts, especially if it’s my turn to drive home at the end of the night).

To get in the mood, I also like to listen to my “hit list” of favourite folk music. In my opinion, nothing gets me going like some Moldva – Kárpátia (not to be confused with Kárpátia) or Csürrentő really get me in the par-tay mind set.

And alas, no folk dancer can really get away with going to a party without having something to iron. *bleh*. Since we  in Toronto usually have a quick showcase before the start of the táncház, this means costumes. At least it’s only Happy Hubby’s costumes this time. Hmmmm… There must be a way to get a man to iron his own shirts…

Táncház time!

So what do you do to get ready for a folk party? Do you have a routine or do you just throw something on and head out the door?

So you want to go táncház…

The countdown has begun!

With only a week to go before the Kodály Ensemble’s fall táncház, I’m super busy getting ready for the official launch of Foundling Folk! Got tons to do and I can feel the clock in the back of my skull ticking down. Plus, Little Z came down with a fever two days ago, and while he’s definitely feeling better, we’re still in clingy-only-Mama-will-do mode. *Sigh*. When it rains, it pours.

But here we go…

Last time I said I’d be continuing my táncház series that I started in the spring. You can check out the first post that I created for the spring táncház here. Also, if you’d like to really get into the history of the dance house movement (táncház mozgalom), this is a superb article written for this past summer’s Folk Life Festival at the Smithsonian, where Hungary was the feature culture.

This time, we’re going to be checking out some táncház etiquette. But before I forget, you can get all the info for the fall táncház on Kodály’s Facebook event.

So you want to go táncház… What to expect.

First off, there’s going to be folk music. Lots of it. All night live bands playing nothing but folk. Not so scary.

Second, there are going to be people dancing. All night. Just folk dancing. A little scary if you’ve never been and don’t know what to do. Do you need to know how to do those boot slapping, prancing and dancing moves? NO! You see, we’ll show you how.

Now, what I’m going to get into is mostly how things work at the Kodály dance houses. Every community sets up their táncház a little differently and there are subtle differences in local etiquette, but in general, there are some things everyone abides by. Also, going to a táncház in Hungary or Transylvania will get you into another batch of unwritten rules of etiquette, but again, the major ones still stand.

The Format

Here in Toronto, we open the night with a  kids’ táncház, followed by a brief show before we get the party started. There are teaching circles for first timers or old timers alike. You don’t need to know what you’re doing to get up and dance!

And what’s a good party without a little refreshment? The bar and buffet are open all night.

Now note – if you’re with Hungarians, drinking and having a good time go hand in hand. Expect alcohol but don’t feel like you must imbibe if it’s not you’re thing. That said, public drunkenness is not easily tolerated in most táncház. In Toronto, we have quite a few families stick around until late, and no one likes trying to dance with a slobbery mess.

What to wear

If you want to follow the traditional school, guys wear a collared shirt (jeans are ok) and girls wear a skirt (usually knee length or longer). This is definitely the format that you will find almost at any táncház, especially in Europe. You can’t go wrong if you follow this rule.

However, times are changing. It’s becoming more acceptable to wear t-shirts for guys (although looking presentable will always land you more dance partners). For gals, pants are becoming more popular, but many ladies opt for a cross between the two styles and wear leggings with a longer tunic-style dress/top. It’s entirely up to you. If it’s you’re first time, wear what makes you most comfortable.

Also a note from a few female friends to the guys. It’s going to get hot. You’re going to sweat. If you’re the type who’s going to be dancing all night and you sweat a fair amount, bring along a change of shirt and swap that sweaty, goopy old one out for a fresh one before you go ask that girl for a dance. Just sayin’…

Getting up to dance

You don’t need to know any Hungarian folk dance and you don’t need to arrive with a partner. I’m not going to lie, if you show up with either of these two points, you will be ahead of the game, but it’s not necessary.

So who asks who to dance? Again, there are traditionalists who think it’s only right for the guy to ask the gal up, and there are those “modern gals” who will ask the guy to dance. Again, here in North America, either goes. In Hungary, if you’re a gal and ask a guy to dance, you may be in for a surprised look, but nowadays, politeness wins out and I have yet to see a guy say no to a girl.

The easiest way to find a partner though, is to get up and dance during the teaching circles. Not only is it respectful to the teachers leading (trust me, most of them hate running after people to try and get them to dance), but it’ll also show you’re really interested in getting yourself out on the dance floor.

And even if you are a superb dancer, take note of your partner. Look at them every now and then and smile. No one likes feeling like a marionette who’s being used as a prop to showcase your folk dance glory. Dance with your partner. This is a dance conversation.

The musicians

These guys are in it for the long haul. They start playing in the early evening (earlier if there was a workshop in the afternoon), and they will be the last ones to leave. Treat them with respect.

The musicians play music for you to dance to, therefore the space right in front of them is prime dance real estate. If you’re there, interact with the musicians. Smile at them, dance for them, take note of how it feels. This is you and them having a dance/music conversation. So for Pete’s sake, don’t turn your back on them! This is akin to snubbing someone mid-sentence.

Also, don’t hog prime real estate for too long. Give others a chance to have that conversation.

As the night wears on, people like to request “their songs”. It’s polite to tip the musicians when you do this. You usually take a bill and put it in the violinist’s bow. This also lets other know that you’ve made a request and it’s considered rude to interrupt  someone else’s request too early. By all means, if it goes on forever… But again, it’s a conversation. Not nice to butt in.

So, there you have it

You are now well versed in táncház. Get off that tush of yours and get thee to a táncház! And if there’s anything I missed, feel free to comment or ask a question.

Hope to see you next week, and in the mean time, I’m back to my kitchen to work away on my own project for the táncház.

Táncház Time!

It’s time for Kodály’s fall táncház!

Which means, it’s time to get my act together. It’s time to make this blog official! So, November 2nd has been set as the official launch date for Foundling Folk!

Yikes, I gotta get me butt together!

It also means that I’m going to resurrect my “táncház for beginners” series that I didn’t get a chance to really do in the spring.

So, time to get cracking! In the mean time, check out the Kodály Ensemble’s Facebook event for the táncház for all the pertinent information.

Cheers!

From Nowhere to Somewhere…

The Toronto Kodály Ensemble’s Year End show promises to be a spectacular evening!

The Kodály Ensemble’s Year End Show

I’m not a student anymore. My son is still too young to be going to school. And yet, we definitely have that crazy year end rushed feeling. It’s that time of year when the weather is starting to get better and you’d rather be outside than indoors. Cabin fever!

We’re also busy because the Hungarian dance group we belong to is preparing for it’s year end show, just two weeks away! Yikes! There is so much to do yet! We’ve been busy polishing off choreographies, ironing out some last minute solos, making sure we have all our costumes. Like I said, lots to do.

But have no fear! It shall get done and it will be an event to remember! We have all our kids groups, our teenie-boppers (they’re going to hate me for calling them that…) and our adult group have been working with a very talented young choreographer all year, and we’re very excited to finally get a chance to showcase our work.

We’ve been working with Zoltán Zsurafszki, Jr. from Budapest, along with his partner Judit Szabo, since September. We’ve been doing a lot of work refreshing old dances (Magyarbőd, Szatmár), as well as learning new ones (Szászcsávás, Somogy, and more…). Also, we’ve been lucky enough to snag Tükrös Band from their North American tour to play for us during the concert! I’m getting really excited to see this all pull together.

So, if you’re looking for a dinner and a night out option, why not go folk? Check out the poster above for ticket info, and come see us crazy Hungarians stomp and boot-slap our way across the stage.

See you there!

Cifra Tábor – or how I met Hubby

Hungarian folk dance camp anyone?

Yes, I am a folk nut. My family is full of folk nuts. Then along came Cifra Tábor, and we are well on our way to passing along our folk nuttiness to the next generation.

My family has been heavily involved in a Hungarian folk dance camp for the past 22 years. My aunt was the first administrator. My uncle kept the kitchen stocked. I attended the camp as a kid. My mom ran the crafts. My step-dad fixed anything that broke. I became a counselor when I was old enough. And now, I run the administrative leg of the camp.

This one time, at dance camp…

The camp has been a huge part of my life over the past two decades and I hope it will still be around when Little Z is old enough. But most importantly, it’s where I met Hubby. We were 13 or 14 (there’s still some debate here over which year exactly we met) and there was one person who stood out from the rest. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Hubby, it was his best friend.

It was teenage summer love that we tried to keep going during the “off season”, even though he lived in Toronto and I lived in St. Catharines, about an hour and a half away – quite a distance when you’re a kid. He wrote me letters, I wrote back. This was before email, but even then, we wrote regularly every week. He even sent me some cheesy poems and the last half of his chocolate bar once so we could “share” long distance. Hey, it was romantic at the time.

Well, turns out, Hubby was the one who helped him write those cheesy poems, even though he had a crush on me himself.

As usually happens with these teenage summer loves, the distance was too much and we lost touch.

During my first year in college, it turned out that a guy who lived a floor under me knew a Hungarian guy. Well, damned if it wasn’t Hubby.

Then when I was in college, I ran into Hubby again when he joined the dance group I was with in Toronto. He’s a folk dance nut, too. But again, it wasn’t meant to be. I was dating someone else at the time and he became interested in one of my friends.

Fast forward again another 6 or so years, and we happened to both come out to that same old camp again. Bazinga! It felt like I’d been zapped by some weird force when I saw Hubby that night. I had an uncontrollable urge to touch him, talk to him, sit next to him. I still don’t know why then and not why all those previous times. We’ve been together since.

How did you meet your significant other? Any other juicy dance camp memories?

Táncház & Workshop Teaser

It’s almost táncház time! Here’s a little teaser featuring Zoltán Zsuráfszki Jr. And his lovely partner Judit Szabó. Did I mention they’re teaching workshops in the afternoon before the táncház? Come dust your boots off before you get down and boogie!

Táncház! – A how to guide for folkster newbies…

It’s táncház time, here in Toronto. The Kodály Ensemble is getting geared up for their next táncház on Saturday, May 11. The babysitter is geared up, we have people staying over at our place, we’ll get to see people we don’t get to see otherwise… I’m getting excited!

But wait! What exactly is a táncház, you might ask? First off, it’s a folk dance party, similar to an Irish or Scottish céilidh. Do you actually need to know any Hungarian folk dancing to attend and have fun? NO! That’s the beauty. Leading up to the táncház, I’m going to have a couple of posts that’ll let you in on this Hungarian folk tradition and help you prep. First up, let’s look at the good ol’ days.

Not so long ago, in Hungarian villages everywhere, going to táncház was the equivalent of going clubbing. Usually, there was someone who had a large room available for rent in their home for parties and get togethers. They’d rent it out to young people in the village who would hire musicians and hold a dance party for their friends and family. Táncház would literally translate to “dance house” (bit of an ah-ha moment there I hope). In larger communities or for larger events, they’d hold táncház in a community centre or hall.

A táncház in Szék in the ’70s.
Photo: Hungarian Electronic Library, from “Hungarian Ethnographic Lexicon”, © Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1977-1982

So, now you have a place, some funky folk music, all your buddies are having fun… ready to find a soul mate? If you were to transport a villager from back in the day to 2013, they’d be shaking their heads at the shenanigans our teenagers get away with today. Back before “dating”, guys and gals didn’t really mingle unescorted and táncház was no exception. But it was also an opportunity to get a little closer to someone while you danced, and hopefully discover if you click. If yes, you might then officially ask her father if you could come calling one evening. If not, no harm done.

But what about the actual dancing? How did people learn to dance? To a certain extent, you were born into it. Everyone at some point ended up at a táncház, wedding, christening or other party. Hungarians like to dance. It was all around you and you picked a certain amount up by osmosis. Then, you’d maybe start dancing with your mother, father or older sibling, who’d show you what to do.

Nowadays, things are a little different. No worries, because if you go to Kodály Ensembles táncház on May 11, there will be teaching circles and, if you’re extra gung-ho, there’s a workshop in the afternoon. You can check out the Facebook event page for the táncház here.