Pushing the Boundaries of Hungary: Fostering Hungarian Dance in North America and Japan

Type of Abstract (select): Paper presentation

Abstract (max. 250 words):
Hungarian dance has often acted as an ambassador for Hungary, but it has also functioned as a stand in for Hungarian culture and a way of life. Earlier in the 20th century, dance was a part of Hungarian celebrations and a range of arts and experiences put together by immigrants in various countries to build a sense of identity and connection to a life left far away. Communities in as different places as Australia, Argentina, Ohio, and Montreal found commonality in dances of a village life they hadn’t personally led presented in a style heavily influenced by the Moiseyev model, nonetheless reflecting a Hungarian identity.
With the advent of the Táncház movement in 1972, these groups were reenergized by a connection to communities for which dance was an active part of life and a marker of personality. Unexpected similarities to how young Hungarians in North America used dance within their cultural circles and new opportunities for self-expression presented by the introduction of improvisation, as well as the opportunity to experience contemporary village life presented by dance camps in Transylvania, aided a sense of fluid borders, as has the outreach of the recent Kőrösi Csoma Sándor program.
As a corollary to the border expansion of Hungary into North America through dance connections, this paper also cites the growth of a Hungarian dance culture in Japan, much through the outreach of individuals such as Sándor Timár, and the enthusiastic assimilation of Hungarian dance by a people responding to its charms.


Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Judith E. Olson (NYU, U Colorado) historical musicologist--traditional Hungarian music/dance in Romania, Hungary, and among Hungarians in the United States/Canada. She combines research in traditional settings, Hungarian dance camps, and revival groups with analysis of dance/music structure, process, and improvisation. She presents frequently at International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance, International Musicological Society, Analytical Approaches to World Music, Society for Ethnomusicology, and AHEA. She performs research and organizes táncház in New York City with Hungarian House and American Hungarian Folklore Centrum. Secondary research areas: International Folk Dancing in the US, Balkan brass bands, and 19th-century German music/culture.