Music/Folklore paper by Székely, Anna
Hungarian Revival Folk DancersDuring the Coronavirus Epidemic Through the Meme #legényesézzotthon [' do legényes at home'] (Accepted)
Type of Abstract (select):Abstract (max. 250 words):
The 2020 coronavirus epidemic brought measures that affected our everyday life. The strict epidemical instructions not only influenced the economic system of the government but society and within that the socio-cultural activities of smaller communities. Due to the global pandemic, the Hungarian folk revival community also has been reorganized in digital space and online platforms, events, and programs were created that can be considered as reactions to the pandemic situation. The present case study investigates how the cultural life of the Hungarian revival folk dancer community has been changed due to such restrictions. I present what kind of initiatives were started in the civil and institutional sphere, how as a result dance groups maintain their community nature. The analysis done through digital fieldwork, as well as with the aid of online semi-structured interviews and surveys. Through my survey I was able to gain an insight into a part of the community’s online activity, their initiatives, and the memes they created after the lockdown. The conclusion is the examined community’s activity is based on their direct connection among themselves and personal contact through dance and music, which cannot be reproduced online. Their activities in the digital space cannot replace personal connections but yet it does maintain and safeguard their feeling of community.
Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Anna Székely studied at the University of Szeged at the Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology. She did research on a Hungarian village’s dance traditions, and customs in the 1940-50s. She finished the Choreomundus international master in dance knowledge, practice, and heritage. She does fieldwork in Transylvanian international folk dance and music camps, festivals, dance houses and folk dance competitions where she investigates the issue of authenticity. She has two master’s degrees. She participated in the Erasmus Intensive Program: Movement of Past and Present in Trondheim, Norway. Her interest is in the Hungarian traditional folk dance and the revival movement.