International Folk Dance Association   of University City presents . . .
	Past Event Page  •  IFDA Home Page

Hungarian Dances from Székelyföld, Transylvania

taught by

Cathy Lamont and Rudy Petke

with live music by the táncház band

Maros

October 8 - 10, 1999
University City (St. Louis), Missouri

Schedule and Prices

Workshop package price:   $32.
The workshop package covers all workshop sessions and Saturday night dancing but no meals -- a $6 savings over paying for individual sessions. Tickets for individual sessions will be available at the door.
Total for workshop package plus Saturday meals:   $47.
You may buy Sunday lunch on your own at the Tap Room Restaurant.

We strongly advise that you pre-register; see registration form. Reservations for the dinner need to be made by Monday, October 4.

We also most strongly recommend that you do not skip any workshops sessions. Except for Saturday evening, the learning sequence is very progressive, and you will have great difficulty if you miss too much material. The review session is for workshop attendees only. Interested persons are invited to come and observe, however.

About the Teachers, Band, and Dances

Cathy Lamont and Rudy Petke have been deeply involved in dancing and all things Hungarian for many years. Together they have made numerous study and research trips to Hungary and Romania.

• Cathy has been dancing since early childhood, with 10 years study each in ballet and tap dancing, in addition to modern dance experience. She has done international folk dancing since 1964, and has extensive experience as a dance director, teacher, performer, and choreographer. She has studied Hungarian dance, language and singing since 1980, and is the founder and artistic director of the Tisza Ensemble (named after a river in eastern Hungary) in the Washington, D.C. area.
• Rudy also has several years of training in ballet and modern dance, and has done folk dancing since 1976. He has over 22 years of experience in managing, directing, performing, and choreography for theater and dance companies, and is currently the dance director of Tisza.

Maros (named after a large river in eastern Transylvania) plays monthly at Tisza public dances and performs several times per year in the Washington, D.C. area, including engagements for the Hungarian Embassy.

• Richard Morrison (violin) started violin as a child. After playing with the Tisza band he started his own group, Maros, in 1995. Richard has learned his craft from János Veres from Debrecen, Mihály Sipos (Muzsikás Ensemble), Mihály Pál (Jártató), Beáta Salamon (Méta Ensemble), and Csaba Ökrös (Ökrös Ensemble).
• Elly Morrison (bass) studied piano as a child for 12 years, and has been playing the bass for Hungarian dancing since 1995. She has learned from Rudy Petke (Táncház) and Róbert Doór (Ökrös Ensemble).
• Robin Hiscock (contra) started playing contra in 1986. He has learned from Béla Roskó (Délibáb), Mihály Sipos (Muzsikás), Zoltán Polgár (Tilinkó), György Lányi (Téka), and Ferenc Mezei (Szászcsávás).

Transylvania (now part of Romania but with a large Hungarian population) is an area with a rich living dance tradition which was largely inaccessible until recent years. Dances from Székelyföld, a region in Transylvania, are fun to do and are characterized by interesting and impulsive movements. They are improvised but not very difficult. Rudy has selected dances from Sóvidék ("Salt Country", a region within Székelyföld) as being most suitable for learning in a single weekend. Dancers with some dance experience should be able to learn this material without difficulty. Dances taught in this workshop will also be done regularly in the IFDA couple dance group. Saturday evening will feature a special surprise, with the Maros ensemble playing music for dancing.

Locations

Church of the Holy Communion (Friday and Saturday): 7401 Delmar Blvd., University City, Missouri. The church is on the northwest corner of Delmar and Jackson (see Map and Guide to IFDA Events). Park on either street and enter through the red double door in the middle of the L-shaped building.

St. Louis Tap Room Restaurant (Sunday): 2100 Locust Blvd., St. Louis, Missouri. (see Guide to St. Louis Tap Room). A parking lot is available. Directions will also be available at the Saturday sessions.

Meals and Other Information

This workshop is supported in part by

Shoes: We recommend wearing clean, hard-soled shoes (leather or synthetic), as many couple dances require turning which is more difficult with rubber-soled shoes which tend to stick to the floor. Some people find the floors slick and others find them sticky, so you might bring more than one pair of shoes and see which works best.

Meals: Saturday lunches will feature Hungarian soups and sanwiches. Saturday dinner will be a traditional Hungarian meal. Please make dinner reservations by October 4. Contributions of fruits and sweets for snacks would be appreciated. You may buy Sunday lunch on your own at the Tap Room Restaurant.

Crash Space is available. Please indicate your needs on the registration form, or contact Diana Blanchard at 314-726-5737 (diana_and_bill@juno.com).

For Other Information: Contact Rex or Nancy Couture at 314-275-8228 (couture@ninenet.com), or Diana Blanchard at 314-726-5737 (diana_and_bill@juno.com).

Views and opinions expressed on this page are strictly those of the International Folk Dance Association of University City, which is not sponsored by or otherwise connected with Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.