What’s everyone listening to now that’s new, good, hot - or maybe old but has captured your ear again? I’m really into Muhely Banda’s new CD, Vagjunk Bele. On Apple Music it’s https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/m%C5%B1hely-banda/1872092711, on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/album/0VDks0fhVKtBGZSm7SBl6G?si=8HqlmU3eQfeWKjoyJ-pVBg . They are out of Marosvasarhely, one of the violinists is Kicsi (Bartis Zoltan) who’s been to Canada before. My favorite song is “FriciGeza fantazia”, about halfway through after the friss there is a halgato which is dynamite.

If you can, please leave the lyrics and a link to the song as well (either video or audio), so that others can learn it too!

https://szepi.hu/nota/nepdal/szoveg/%C3%96kr%C3%B6s/Kalotaszegi_mulat%C3%B3_%C3%A9nekek/lista.html

In an April 2012 article in FolkMagazin which has recently been making its rounds on Facebook, there was a transcription of a Transylvanian villager from Korond talking about how dancing to live music happened in village dance halls. I think it’s a wonderful and important reminder of what I perceive to be somewhat of a lost art of dancing to live music (whether or not there are microphones involved). I would like to see Tanchaz dancers adopt “back” to these customs and traditions, because they make so much sense, including from the perspective of a musician, but also in terms of community and the development of dancers. The most important take-away points, I think, are that the dancers in the room should move/circulate; no one is “entitled” to be in front of the band the whole time; depending on where you are, who you’re in front of, and who you’re dancing with your style/approach should adjust; and the contact/relationship with the musicians is critical. THOUGHTS, COMMENTS? “In the dance hall, the dancing did not stay in one place — the dancer did not stand still and dance in a fixed spot — but rather the dancing community, that crowd, swirled from left to right. It was very crowded, yet everyone found their own place, and the dancers never knocked into one another, they were so careful…. Now, as the dance went around the room like this, the couples danced differently in different parts of the hall, because dancing in front of the band was quite different — there you had to show your musical ability in front of the musicians. And let me stop here! The musicians would actually call out to a truly fine dancing couple, to a good dancing lad: ‘Don’t move on, stay here, there’s a cup of wine for you!’ — because it was easier to play music after a good dancing lad, since his rhythm was sure, his musicality was sure; the musician watched him and then played very confidently and effortlessly. When the couple moved on from there, this section — the part near the musicians, moving to the left — was typically where the men stood, and here you had to dance seriously, in a manly way, you had to show that you were a lad, and not just any lad. So here the men expected to see that their son had good posture, was solidly built, and not someone who would fall on his backside for any reason….

Where do you live, and what is your favorite part about Hungarian folklife? ps: Feel free to post a picture of yourself engaged in your favorite folklife activity