/Centuries of Hungarian Dance/
This production was created as a sequel to Hungarian School of Dance and Dance School 2. While the target audience of the dance school shows was primarily schoolchildren between year1 and 4, this programme is recommended to pupils between year 4 and 8 and secondary school students. The show conveys knowledge not generally taught in the school curriculum. It takes a historical look at the music & dance of the Carpathian Mountains, with particular emphasis on its ethnic diversity. As a whole, the show looks at the complete dance culture and the connections between each of its different ethnicities – Hungarian, Slovakian, Romanian and Gypsy. Ther are few who are aware of the historical origin and formation of Hungarian traditional dance and the spreading of certain European dance fashions in Hungary over a thousand years. Ifjú Szivek Dance Theatre and our moderator, Ferenc Novák ‘Tata’, undertake the task to explore these connections and set them to stage through dance and music. Great emphasis is put on the broader cultural context of traditional dance (folk songs, folk music, costumes, customs) and its community building and entertaining features. The experience an individual gains as a member of a community shows in the songs, music and dance.
The success of this show is a proof again that a theatre production based on the traditional music and dance culture of the Carpathian Basin has the right to be performed on stage – Irregular History Class is appealing and entertaining for both the younger and the older generation.
Length: 55 min.
