Táncház: The Hungarian Dance House Movement with Tisza Ensemble
Tisza Ensemble, a Hungarian folk dance ensemble, will immerse participants in an interactive workshop centered around the táncház, or “dance house.” Attendees will enjoy a curated performance and teaching demonstration covering two different regions of Hungary and Transylvania. Each dance will be introduced and culturally contextualized. First, the participants will be delighted with a performance of the dances of Dél-Alföld, or the “Southern Great Plains” region of Hungary. The Délalföldi dances are known for their leaping, hopping, and lively style, featuring athletic movements, quick jumps, and a characteristic dip of the partner. Tisza’s choreography includes the men’s solo oláhos, followed by the couples’ páros oláhos, concluding with the slow lassú and fast friss csárdás couples’ dances. There will be an interlude between performances consisting of teaching led by artistic director Cathy Lamont in which dancers will learn line and circle dances typically danced at táncház events as well as some basic improvisational csárdás steps—after all, Hungarian folk dancing is routed in improvisation. Immediately following the interactive component of the workshop, attendees will be treated to a performance of the dances of Szilágyság, a region found in Western Transylvania. Dances from this region are lower to the ground, but are still just as elegant and intricate. This region’s location between two major dance cultural hotspots in Transylvania gives its dances an idiosyncratic character that is both high-energy and technically sophisticated. Tisza Ensemble’s choreography includes the men’s cövekelő dance, the couples’ “citizen/bourgeois” polgári dance (a dance that playfully makes fun of the urban middle class of Budapest!), and the slow lassú and fast friss csárdás couples’ dances.
Tisza Ensemble, a Hungarian folk dance ensemble, will immerse participants in an interactive workshop centered around the táncház, or “dance house.” Attendees will enjoy a curated performance and teaching demonstration covering two different regions of Hungary and Transylvania. Each dance will be introduced and culturally contextualized. First, the participants will be delighted with a performance of the dances of Dél-Alföld, or the “Southern Great Plains” region of Hungary. The Délalföldi dances are known for their leaping, hopping, and lively style, featuring athletic movements, quick jumps, and a characteristic dip of the partner. Tisza’s choreography includes the men’s solo oláhos, followed by the couples’ páros oláhos, concluding with the slow lassú and fast friss csárdás couples’ dances. There will be an interlude between performances consisting of teaching led by artistic director Cathy Lamont in which dancers will learn line and circle dances typically danced at táncház events as well as some basic improvisational csárdás steps—after all, Hungarian folk dancing is routed in improvisation. Immediately following the interactive component of the workshop, attendees will be treated to a performance of the dances of Szilágyság, a region found in Western Transylvania. Dances from this region are lower to the ground, but are still just as elegant and intricate. This region’s location between two major dance cultural hotspots in Transylvania gives its dances an idiosyncratic character that is both high-energy and technically sophisticated. Tisza Ensemble’s choreography includes the men’s cövekelő dance, the couples’ “citizen/bourgeois” polgári dance (a dance that playfully makes fun of the urban middle class of Budapest!), and the slow lassú and fast friss csárdás couples’ dances.Tisza Ensemble
Tisza Ensemble, founded in 1982, is dedicated to preserving and sharing the táncház movement, a living and modern revival of Hungarian traditional music and dance that began in the early 1970s. Táncház, or “dance house,” draws from communities across the former Kingdom of Hungary, most prominently Transylvania, and emphasizes improvisation, live music, and community participation.
Based in the Washington, D.C. area, Tisza Ensemble holds regular classes and social dances while maintaining a performing group that presents these traditions at a variety of venues. Rather than solely relying on choreography, Tisza’s performances reflect the original spirit of the dance, with men and women improvising—responding in the moment to the music and to one another. In addition to couples’ dances, men’s dances reach the highest level of virtuosity, wherein each man strives to express his personality, sense of rhythm, and athleticism, while women’s ancient circle dances are performed without instrumentation or accompaniment, showcasing beautiful harmonies and serving as a vital link to Hungary’s cultural heritage.
Under the direction of Cathy Lamont for the past 44 years—a folk dance educator recognized with the Hungarian Republic’s Gold Cross of Merit—the ensemble combines deep expertise with a passion for cultural preservation, collaboration, and community-building. Moreover, Tisza has performed and taught throughout the US, Canada, and Hungary, and several of the dancers have studied their art in Hungary and Transylvania. In the DC area, Tisza has performed at the Embassy of Hungary, the Kossuth Foundation, Sandy Spring Museum, the River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation, the Hungarian Bazaar, the Hungarian Heritage Festival, the Maryland Folklife Festival, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, the Baltimore Lithuanian Hall, the Romanian Food Festival, and has been featured on Hungarian public news channel M1 in honor of the March 15th Revolution commemoration celebrations across the world.