Hitting the Beat: Transylvanian Roma Musicians and Village Dancers in Community Improvisation

Analytical Approaches to World Musics, Vol. 13, No. 1. Published September 2025. Hitting the Beat: Transylvanian Roma Musicians and Village Dancers in Community Improvisation Judith Olson his article examines how timing and rhythm at different levels provide the structure and medium of engagement for dancers and musicians in community events including improvisational dance, now often called táncház, in Hungarian villages in Romania. 1 I will consider archival examples of the Kalotaszegi Legényes, a solo men’s dance from the Kalotaszeg region, as well as a couples’ dance from the nearby Mezőség region, with more recent examples from events in the village of Visa (Vișea jud. Cluj). The Kalotaszeg region is generally to the west of Cluj-Napoca (Hungarian: Kolozsvár, German: Klausenburg), and the Mezőség region is to the north and east (Illustration 1). [2] I will focus on how the band and dancers work together to preserve timing and keep the beat, each medium informing the analysis of the other. To approach this interaction, I explicate a relationship which Quigley and Varga have recently defined as “choreomusical intimacy,” a “conversation” in which individual dancers interact with the band and form an expressive whole (Quigly and Varga 2020). This intimacy is noteworthy because of the split in social class, choice of medium, and type of professionality (monetary or social) between the two groups. THE FIELD [3] Roma bands specialize in the dance repertoire of nearby villages. These bands often consist of professional dynastic families in which children begin learning instruments at a young age. As younger generations of musicians master the material, they often join existing 1 . The táncház (lit dancehouse) was the venue for the social dance events of the peasants in Szék (Sic, jud. Cluj), a Hungarian village in Central Transylvania, Romania until the 1990s, and the term was taken up by folk revivalists. While other villages used similar terms such as táncosház or táncolóház (approx. house for dance), since the 2000s, the term táncház has since been increasingly applied to village dance events where urban revivalists and villagers dance together. Non-archival materials in this article were generally filmed in this context. T 2 Analytical Approaches to World Musics 13.1 (2025) bands. For example, Martin Kodoba Florin is now bringing his sons into the Magyarpalatka band. Another model is for younger musicians to form separate bands, as in the village of Szászcsávás. Illustration 1: István Pávai, “Erdély a néíajznépzeneés néptánckutatás tájszemléletében cimű tanulmány térképmelléklete nyomán” [“Map of Transylvania from the Perspective of Hungarian Ethnographic, Folk Music, and Folk Dance Research”]. Area noted on corresponding map of Romania. 2 2 . https://folkradio.hu/folkszemle/cikk/44/erdely-a-magyar-neprajz-nepzene-es-a-neptanckutatastajszemleleteben and Zenetudományi Dolgozatok 2004-2005 Budapest Intézet: 210 [216], Olson: Hitting the Beat 3 [4] Many peasant dancers have developed dance into a highly original and often virtuosic art through singing and solo dance practice at odd times and within work circles, as well as at community events. Villagers traditionally booked bands collectively to play for them, each paying a little cash that guaranteed them time in front of the band, in which the band played primarily for them. Within this society, Roma musicians occupied the position of providing musical service to the villages they lived nearby. The economic relationship between village dancers and band highlights this social division, in which Roma tend to be viewed as underclass within European society, generally precluding deep friendship between people from different groups (Quigly and Varga 2020, 122-123). As explored later in this discussion, dancer-band interactions can break this impasse. [5] A third interested group is from the outside. 3 In the early 1970s, experiments by Budapest choreographers and professional dancers attempting improvisation in the manner of villagers at events they also called táncház created a new group of enthusiasts. In Transylvania, students from localities like Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca jud. Cluj) attended rural events to learn, then organized similar dance events on their own turf. This back-to-nature impulse rode the wave of beat-music of the 1960’s and early 1970’s (led by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones) and later coincided with other student movements. In Hungary, it also became a clandestine resistance movement of supporting Hungarians in other communist countries and at home using mechanisms of communism--group centers, and nonprofessional activity-- all with a frisson of danger 4 In 2011, UNESCO designated the táncház method of holding community events including teaching of improvised dances a “Best Practice.” 5 Researchers and dancers felt that the richness, complexity, and even the heart of https://zti.hu/files/kiadvanyok/ZenetudDolg/ZenetudDolg_2004-2005.pdf. Romania map is Shutterfly Stock Vector no. 1471565718. 3 . Throughout the 20th century, many researchers from a wide range of backgrounds focused on this material, including musicologists, ethnochoreologists, choreographers, folklorists, empresarios, and physical education specialists. The interaction of researchers and dance practitioners in the field and the specific encouragement of ethnochoreologist György Martin provided major impetus for the táncház movement discussed here. 4 . See (Balogh and Fülemile 2008) and (Taylor 2021) for excellent discussions of the origin of the táncház movement, including social and political aspects. While many táncház participants felt they were just pursuing a fun aspect of their heritage, others recognized the subversive nature of the activity. Travel and participation in Romania involved the danger of being detained or worse. (Kelemen 2008). 5 . The Register of Good Safeguarding Practices allows states, parties, communities and other stakeholders to share successful safeguarding experiences and examples of how they surmounted challenges faced in the 4 Analytical Approaches to World Musics 13.1 (2025) the material rested on the invention of individual dancers. This meant fitting the dance to their own bodies and allowing themselves to find new gestures, but within the practice of their own villages. 6 Early on, táncház dancers decided that while improvisation was essential, in order to preserve the form, it could only consist of gestures and figures done by villagers. This decision created a devil’s bargain (informal, but widely practiced) of being creative, yet not creative at the same time. Dancers were encouraged to study the archives and find figures that appealed to them and fit their bodies, often resulting in a hybridized dance combining figures from several rural dancers from different villages. Some dancers practice to exactly replicate archived Legényes routines or make new figures by combining small parts. In other words, invention tends to the combination of fragmented gestures, rather than the creation of a figure that would necessitate new movement in its realization. 7 [6] These days, because of many late 20th and early 21st century events, changes, and modernization, 8 traditional dance in Transylvania rests on the unbroken line of Roma musicians, some remaining older dancers, and dancers trained in the táncház method. I have frequently heard that it is táncház participants who have provided the support that allows Roma musicians to continue to work. 9 transmission of their living heritage, its practice and knowledge to the future generation. These methods and approaches should be useful as lessons and models that can be adapted to other circumstances, including those in developing countries. https://ich.unesco.org/en/register. The 2011 decision to include the táncház method reads in part: The Táncház (‘dance-house’) model of teaching folk dance and music combines traditional forms of acquisition with modern pedagogical and academic methods. Participants acquire dance knowledge from experienced members or tradition bearers by direct observation and imitation, to the accompaniment of live music, while using their own individual level of creativity to develop their competence and dancing ability. https://ich.unesco.org/en/decisions/6.COM/9.8 6 . For example, László Felföldi states, “Individual ‘dancing creativity’ is a skill developed during a dancer’s life career, which enables the dancer to manifest community knowledge in an individual way, depending on his physical and mental abilities, his momentary disposition, and the expectations of the audience,” (2008, 183). 7 . Although I have never seen reference to a formal decision of this sort, I have found this rule to be axiomatic within every dance group I have been associated with. A few people, “experts,” are informally allowed their own figures, but they do not become part of the canon. Some years ago, Călin Orza invited people to a legényes meetup, to which dancers were to bring two new pont in addition to some learned from film. He received a small response and people seemed afraid to come, as I discussed in my presentation at IMS Conference 1-7 July 2012, Rome. 8 . (Varga, 2011) explores historical and social background to these changes. 9 . This observation is supported by (Quigley and Varga 2020, 132). Olson: Hitting the Beat 5 [7] For the táncház group, knowledge of older practices has rested primarily on 20th century collection efforts, largely hampered by limitations in technology. Filmed dance segments are very short, and dance researchers often distorted the relationship between dancers and musicians by asking people to dance to the camera and frequently omitting the band entirely from the shot. 10 Music researchers recorded musicians on tape without recording dancers, or without dancers present. This meant that those studying the tapes, especially amateur táncház dancers and musicians far from Transylvania, gained a distorted view of the relationship between band and dancer. 11 THE DANCE BAND [8] To understand how music and dance fit together and intricacies of rhythmic interplay, I will first describe the responsibilities of each part of the band. The violin (hegedű) is the melodic voice and adds ornamentation to songs and interludes. In place of vibrato as an expressive device, notes are filled in with arpeggios and runs which emphasize cadences and phrasal pickups. The violin is generally played in second position for greater pitch flexibility, 12 and is supported by the player’s wrist in contrast to standard practice. This positioning facilitates particular ornamentation (see Example 1) and helps the player tolerate long hours of playing (Mihó, 2019). The primary violin, or prímás, leads the band and actively regulates the entire dance/music event and its sections. [9] The viola or brácsa provides the inner voices of the triadic harmony and subdivides the beat. This instrument has a flat bridge in order to play all strings at once. It is played against the chest with an up and down movement. Brácsa bows differ in size, shape, and heft according to region and locality. The main brácsa bowing patterns are dűvő and esztam (broadly, playing on and off the beat) and are played in coordination with the bass and 10 . These include often-viewed films of István Mátyás Mundruc and János Fekete Poncsa (see examples 3-4), as well as most clips in the primary database for this material: https://neptanctudastar.abtk.hu/. In Example 2, you can see the researcher telling the dancer to turn away from the band and toward the camera. 11 . Even today, I am seeking others who record and study the relationship between the band and dancers throughout the scope of an entire dance cycle. In my opinion, the core of the interaction, the intensifying moments of mutual influence, and the motor of rhythm lie in this progressing relationship. 12 . When villagers at events spontaneously begin to sing, musicians who jump in to accompany them must match the singer’s pitch. In my experience, some villagers do not seem to be able to match a band pitch, although the singers in Example 1 master it. 6 Analytical Approaches to World Musics 13.1 (2025) sometimes with another brácsa player. 13 An excellent example of these performance techniques for both violin and brácsa can be seen in Example 1. 14 Example 1: ”Palatkai banda -- lassú cigánytánc, szökős és sűrű csárdás” 15 (see YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTGSOLCBnUY). [10] The brácsa gives the beat in such a constant, regular manner that dancers entrain to it. This constant beat division helps dancers predict the coming beat and time their movements accordingly. Also, whereas dancers can find the beat from just a melody line, synchronizing with the brácsa frees their concentration for improvisation. [11] The bass or nagybőgő provides a regular pulse and the foundation for each chord. It is generally three-stringed, bowed German-style, and the bow is specialized to local music. The bőgő and brácsa form a unit that stabilizes the ensemble and clarifies phrase structure. These lower voices expressively shape the line, sometimes playing pickups that lead into the next phrase, or hold notes over the bar line into a new phrase to aid in creating a dance’s rhythmic drive. They mesh with phrasing of the lead violin, which tends to decorate phrasal endings and cadences with ornamentation, emphasizing the square nature. COMMUNITY DANCE EVENTS [12] Community dance events occurred at one time on a regular weekly basis. Content included multiple repetitions of the local dance cycle, a group of dances in specific tempos which were played together in a certain order and sometimes separated and abridged. Responsibility for the flow of the event then as now rests on the shoulders of the prímás, who uses his own observations, directives from organizers and others, and familiarity with performance conventions to decide when to begin dance cycles and which sections to play. 13 . In which case one might play a dűvő rhythm and the other esztam. 14 This example also shows the manner in which Roma musicians accompany village singers. For a detailed discussion of parts within the Transylvanian folk band including instrumental use, bowing, rhythmic patterns, and expressive use of rhythm, as well as many other musical and instrumental aspects of Transylvanian practice, see (Pávai 2020). 15 . Zoltán Kallós and Zoltán Dénes, 2003, collectors, performed by Lőrinc Kodoba, Călin Matingo, and Ştefan Moldovan (Visa (Vișea jud. Cluj), performers from Magyarpalatka (Pălatca jud. Cluj)), April 26, video, 8 min., 55 sec., posted March 27, 2020 by Minden, ami népzene, (more information in Bibliography). Olson: Hitting the Beat 7 As the event proceeds, the prímás manipulates the content and length of cycles, shaping them to the interest and energy level of the dancers, modeling timing on many levels at once. Csongor Könczei notes that “The fact that the majority of professional village musicians playing traditional folk music are also good dancers can be considered wellknown in Hungarian folk dance research” (2000, 294). 16 This skill aids musicians in providing needed music and pacing. [13] Dance cycles generally consist of men’s and couples’ dances. I will discuss how individual dancers and musicians use their volcabularies, nuance, and gesture to shape the dance and respond to each other first in a men’s dance, the Kalotaszegi Legényes, then in a couples’ dance from the neighboring Mezőség region. BAND AND DANCER INTERACTION IN THE KALOTASZEGI LEGÉNYES [14] Sometime during the evening as part of a dance cycle, individual men dance with the band in front of the community. One of the most developed of these dances is the Legényes (“lad’s dance”) from Kalotaszeg. Illustration 2 shows dancer Ferenc Bíro Fekete performing this dance with local musicians in an archival film clip collected during an afternoon shoot. 16 . “Az a tény, hogy a tradicionális népzenét játszó hivatásos falusi zenések többsége jó táncos is egyben, közismertnek tekinthető a magyar néptánckutatásban.” Kőnczei is in turn citing István Pávai (1993), “Az erdélyi és a moldvai magyarság népi tánczenéje,” https://kjnt.ro/szovegtar/pdf/KJNTEvk_08_2000_CzDKV_szerk_13_KonczeiCs. 8 Analytical Approaches to World Musics 13.1 (2025) Illustration 2: Ferenc Bíro Fekete, Bogártelke (Băgara jud. Cluj) April 10, 1969. 17 [15] According to understood “rules” (performance conventions), men dance a series of improvised pontok (pl.) points or dance phrases corresponding to the musical phrase) using steps, leg and body lifts and slaps, jumps, and other movements. In devising a counterpoint to the band’s piece, dancers often play with and against on and off-beats. The dance uses opening figures, interludes, and cadential structures in four short motives in eight bars to make a pont. 18 The archival recording in Example 2 shows dancer Ferenc Bíro Fekete performing a series of eight pont. Example 2: ”Legényes.” Performed by Ferenc Bíro Fekete, Bogártelke (Băgara jud. Cluj). 19 (see Ft. 688.4+ (Item ID) at https://neptanctudastar.abtk.hu/en/dances) or https://youtu.be/Yj5xP24oBoY.) For analysis, please refer to Illustration 3. 17 . MTA Zenetudomanyi Intezet Néptánc Adatbázis – Filmtár, 688 4+ (April 10, 1969). November 11, 2023. Dance video, 1:13. See Ft. 688.4+ (Item ID) at https://neptanctudastar.abtk.hu/en/dances) or https://youtu.be/Yj5xP24oBoY.) 18 . For research purposes, pont are usually notated In Labanotation, for example, in György Martin, 1980, “Improvisation and Regulation in Hungarian Folk Dances,” in Selected Papers of György Martin, 2020, György Martin et al, edited by János Fügedi, Colin Quigley, Vivien Szőnyi, and Sándor Varga (Budapest, Hungarian Heritage House): 475-519, http://db.zti.hu/neptanc_tudastar/pdf/biblio/l01928.pdf. This collection of articles by Martin and essays relating to his work provides excellent background for the study of Hungarian dance. ( This article was first published as György Martin, ”Rögtönzés és szabályozódás a magyar néptáncokban,” Népi kultóra Népi tarrsadalom XI-XII, edited by Gyulza Ortutay (Akadémiai Kaido): 411-49.) 19 . MTA Zenetudomanyi Intezet Néptánc Adatbázis – Filmtár, 688 4+ (April 10, 1969). Dance video, 1:13. Olson: Hitting the Beat 9 Illustration 3: “Legényes” Ferenc Bíro Fekete Performance with Music and Dance Phrases. 20 16 Analytical Approaches to World Musics 13.1 (2025) [32] In their article, Quigley and Varga (2020) discussed their work with a prímás from Szék, Filep Márton Pali Marci. Pali Marci noted that many dancers, especially those from a táncház background in Hungary, do not understand that they must dance as if they were a part of the band: “Something is happening every second. In the music, the rhythm, beat, pulsation, and accent. That’s why it’s good for someone to know how to listen, to stay constantly together, not just now and then, to hit together, and then again, all the way to the end. Like pistons at work, it’s not possible to miss two hits, because it has to go on. In that way it makes sense . . .” (129). [33] This is Quigley and Varga’s “choreomusical intimacy,” and it is the moment that breaks the boundaries between dancer and musicians. This feeling of intimacy runs deeper than a momentary connection. István Kosbor, a dancer at a revival event in New York, told me he felt at certain times the prímás, Kálmán Magyar Öcsi, was calling him personally to come dance in front of the band. 35 [34] In Example 7, the dancer becomes so involved in connecting with the band and hitting the beat that at the end he seems driven to gestures outside the form (at 0:44), to an affirmative response by the prímás Náci Mácsingó. Example 7: Enthusiastic Dancer in Visa, August 3, 2010,” 36 (see YouTube video: https://youtu.be/NnLVVNzl6Rg). and throughout the clip they continue to dance in front of the band whenever they can. Although revival scene dancers also enjoy this position, they are more in the habit of dancing to the music regardless of their position on the dance floor. For instance, starting at 2:50, you can see members of the revival dance group dancing “out of range” from the band. Here, they can only hear the music, but cannot order music. They cannot see the gestures of the musicians, and the musicians cannot follow the movements of the dancers visually because they are too far from each other. 35 . Personal conversation, July 28, 2008. 36 . November 6, 2023. Video by author. Olson: Hitting the Beat 17 Illustration 4: Dancing in front of the band, Visa, July 20, 2022. 37 [35] Example 8 is another instance of connection between band and dancer in which each works to hit the beat exactly together, to the satisfaction of all parties and observers. The band also expresses appreciation of the dancer’s efforts, and the prímás, Martin Kodoba “Florin”, looks back at him approvingly. Example 8: “Band and Dancer Interactions in Visa, July 20, 2022” 38 (see YouTube video: https://youtu.be/iEt9-HqoazE). [36] The second couple in Example 8 (at 00:51) demonstrates a different kind of focus, as the man enjoys his interaction with his partner, refraining from elaborate steps and looking at her even as he connects with the band. This element of partner interaction and inclusion is a striking aspect of dancing with men from Visa and other villages, and it deserves more attention. [37] In conclusion, although this article can only be an introduction, I hope to have shown that what makes the event called táncház is the rhythmic and gestural interaction between musicians and dancers that pushes the process forward, creating musical form and content. I have sought to demonstrate the role and importance of metric organization in many contexts, as well as the constant reference to rhythmic guideposts during improvisation. In 37 . Video by author. Taken from YouTube video: https://youtu.be/iEt9-HqoazE. Uploaded November 26, 2023, 38 . Video by author. 18 Analytical Approaches to World Musics 13.1 (2025) addition, I have discussed how “hitting the beat” brings together band and dancer, creating a connection that transcends personal backgrounds and crosses social barriers. [38] Here are some possibilities for future research suggested by the material in this discussion: 1. Return to the tapes and explore how particular gestures in music and dance may inspire correspondence. One of the conventions of Legényes and couple dances is that the dancer may choose the song to dance to, suggesting that individual dancers find musical analogues to their improvisations. 2. A focus on longer dance movements to evaluate the structure, effect of pacing, and the prímás’ musical choices to better understand how dancers build a longer dance, as well as their influence on the musical structure. 3. Using older village dancers as a physical record of dance when it was a fundamental element of village life, specifically to find the rhythm held in the body. 39 One way is to dance with the older women who come to watch at dance camps in Transylvanian villages. 40 4. Valorizing and seeking out the musician’s point of view when describing dance and characterizing a dancer’s performance. 5. Careful engagement with the táncház view that one should only improvise with materials from village dancers saved on tape. As noted, this catalog is not large or complete because of technical and field-time limitations during collection in the late 1900’s 41 Perhaps the degree to which these forms have already changed can be 39 . I offer this suggestion out of my own experience in dancing with older village dancers, having observed that even though dances from different villages may have the same figures, the feeling within the beats and moving to the next beat is often different. These subtleties are not obvious, and can only be learned through partnering. They may be lost soon without such research. 40 . These folks are often under-utilized in researching genres where men are the main participants or leaders. Women and girls also have had their own pattern of engagement with expressing rhythm, for example, girls dancing with foot rhythms to go with their singing in the village of Magyarlapád (Romanian: Lopadea Nouă jud. Alba) present one case of how rhythm can blend the mediums of music and dance and structure each. “Karikázó.” [Girls’ circle dance from Magyarlapád (Lopadea Nouă jud. Alba [Alsó-Fehér])] (see Ft.681.25 at https://neptanctudastar.abtk.hu/en/dances?C=%5B%22Anca%20Giurchescu%22%5D&SearchResult=2). (Giurchescu and et al 1969). 41 . Exceptions include efforts within the Zenetudományi Intézet to document some dancers through the span of their lifetimes and works like György Martin, 2004, Mátyás István 'Mundruc': Egy kalotaszegi táncos egyéniségvizsgálata (Mátyás István 'Mundruc': an examination of a Kalotaszeg Dance Talent), Olson: Hitting the Beat 19 evaluated, as well as the contributions of specific dancers and dance teachers to our understanding. In addition, we could consider granting modern dancers the historical Legényes dancer’s prerogative of developing some pont that are uniquely theirs. 42 REFERENCES Balogh, Balázs and Fülemile, Ágnes. 2008. “Cultural Alternatives, Youth and Grassroots Resistance in Socialist Hungary -- The Folk Dance and Music Revival.” Hungarian Studies, 22:1-2. https://epa.oszk.hu/01400/01462/00038/pdf/EPA01462_hungarian_studies_2008_12_043-062.pdf. Felföldi, László. 2008. “Biographical Method in Ethnochoreology: Autobiography of a Dancer.” Invisible and Visible Dance: Crossing Identity Boundaries. 23rd Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Ethnochoreology. Edited by Elsie Ivancich Dunin. Zagreb: Institute for Ethnology and Folklore Research: 183-9. Kelemen, László. 2008. “The First Decade of the Hungarian Dance-House Movement in Transylvania – A Subjective History.” Hagyományok Háza (Hungarian Heritage House.) https://hagyomanyokhaza.hu/en/subjective-history-dance-movement. Kőnczei Csongor. 2000. “A Zenei és Táncbeli Improvazálások Összefüggései.” (“Connections between Music and Dance Improvisations.”) Kriza János Néprajzi Társaság Évkönyve 8: 294–301. https://kjnt.ro/szovegtar/pdf/KJNTEvk_08_2000_CzDKV_szerk_13_KonczeiCs. Martin, György. 2004. Mátyás István 'Mundruc': egy kalotaszegi táncosgyéniségvizsgálata (Mátyás István 'Mundruc': an Examination of a Kalotaszeg Dance Talent). Budapest: Planetás. 42 . For example, when I asked András Betlendi about two pont in his legényes performance, he told me he had found one, and one came to him in a dream (Personal conversation, ca. 2010). 20 Analytical Approaches to World Musics 13.1 (2025) ———. 2020. Selected Papers of György Martin. Edited by János Fügedi, Colin Quigley, Vivien Szőnyi, and Sándor Varga. Budapest: Hungarian Heritage House. http://db.zti.hu/neptanc_tudastar/pdf/biblio/l01928.pdf Mihó, Attila. 2019. “In Search of Connecting Playing Techniques: Research Results on the Hungarian Fiddle Tradition by a Professional Musician.” 45th International Council for Traditional Music Conference, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand (July 1117, 2019). Olson, Judith E. 2012. “Living or Dead—How Different Groups Doing Táncház Imagine their Roles in the Future of Hungarian Traditional Music and Dance.” International Musicological Society Congress, Rome (July 2012). ———. 2016. “Analyzing Traditional Hungarian Dance and Music: Developing a Framework from the Needs of Performance.” Analytical Approaches to Traditional Music Conference, The New School, New York, NY (July 2016). Overholser, Lisa. 2023. “Taylor, Mary N. 2021. Movement of the People: Hungarian Folk Dance, Populism, and Citizenship. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 316 pp. Illus.” Hungarian Cultural Studies. Journal of the American Hungarian Educators Association 16 (2023) DOI: 10.5195/ahea.2023.551. https://ahea.pitt.edu/ojs/ahea/article/view/551. Pávai, István. 2020. Hungarian Folk Dance Music of Transylvania (Translation of Az erdélyi magyar népi tánczene, 2013). Budapest: Hungarian Heritage House, MMA Kaidó. Pávai, István. n.d, “Erdély a néprajznépzeneés néptánckutatás tájszemléletében cimű tanulmány térképmelléklete nyomán” [“Map of Transylvania from the perspective of Hungarian ethnographic, folk dance, and folk music research”]. “Erdély a magyar néprajz-, népzeneés néptánckutatás tájszemléletében.” https://folkradio.hu/folkszemle/cikk/44/erdely-a-magyar-neprajz-nepzene-es-aneptanckutatas-tajszemleleteben. Taken from: ———. 2006. “Erdély a néprajznépzeneés néptánckutatás tájszemléletében cimű tanulmány térképmelléklete nyomán” [“Map of Transylvania from the perspective of Hungarian ethnographic, folk dance, and folk music research”]. Zenetudományi Olson: Hitting the Beat 21 Dolgozatok 2004-2005 Budapest Intézet: 210 [216]. https://zti.hu/files/kiadvanyok/ZenetudDolg/ZenetudDolg_2004-2005.pdf. ———. 2020. Hungarian Folk Dance Music of Transylvania (Translation of Az erdélyi magyar népi tánczene, 2013). Budapest: Hungarian Heritage House, MMA Kaidó. Quigley, Colin and Varga Sándor. 2020. “Peasant Dancers and Gypsy Musicians: Social Hierarchy and Choreomusical Interaction.” The World of Music (New Series) Vol. 9, No. 1: 117–138. Taylor, Mary N. 2021. Movement of the People: Hungarian Folk Dance, Populism, and Citizenship. In New Anthropologies of Europe. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Varga, Sándor. 2011. “Változások egy mezőségi falu XX.századi tánckultúrában.” [”Changes in the Dance Culture of a Mezőségi Farming Village in the Twentieth Century.”] PhD diss. Eötvös Loránd University, https://doktori.btk.elte.hu/hist/vargasandor/diss.pdf. ———. 2017. ”Use of Space in the Dance-House in the Mezőség Region.” Dance, Senses, Urban Contexts. Dance and the Senses. Dancing and Dance Cultures in Urban Contexts: 29th Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Ethnochoreology. Edited by Kendra Stepputat. Graz: ICTM Study Group on Ethnochoreology – Institute of Ethnomusicology – University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. 104–112. http://real.mtak.hu/72693/1/Use_of_Space_in_the_Dance_House_in_the_Mezoseg_R egion_u.pdf. Virágvölgyi, Márta. 2000. “Legényes.” Kalotaszegi Legénysek. Budapest Néptáncosok Szakmai Háza, p.24. FILMOGRAPHY Note: For films in Néptanc Tudástár BTK Zenetudományi Intézet, if cited searches fail to work, go to https://neptanctudastar.abtk.hu/en/dances and insert Ft. number in “Item ID.” Giurchescu, Anca; Martin, György et al, collectors. 1969. “Karikázó.” Performed by Keresztesi Mária et al, (Alsó-Fehér [Magyarlapád] jud. Alba), May 26. Video, 22 Analytical Approaches to World Musics 13.1 (2025) Ft.681.25, 3 min., 36. Néptanc Tudástár BTK Zenetudományi Intézet (Knowledge Base of Traditional Dances, RCH Institute for Musicology). https://neptanctudastar.abtk.hu/en/dances?C=%5B%22Anca%20Giurchescu%22%5D &SearchResult=2. Judyolson1. AAWM 25 Example 2: „Legényes.” Performed by Ferenc Bíro Fekete, Bogártelke (Băgara jud. Cluj). Adapted from Néptanc Tudástár BTK Zenetudományi Intézet Ft.688.4+ (April 4, 1969), dance video 1 min., 13 sec. https://youtu.be/Yj5xP24oBoY. ———. AAWM 25 Example 2A: ”Legényes.” Performed by Ferenc Bíro Fekete - Vertical lines delineate 4-bar segments. Adapted from Néptanc Tudástár BTK Zenetudományi Intézet Ft.688.4+ (April 4, 1969), dance video 1 min., 13 sec. https://youtu.be/9UYKVOP7RY4. ———. AAWM 25 Example 2B: ”Legényes.” Performed by Ferenc Bíro Fekete – 4-bar segments and musical form marked. Adapted from Néptanc Tudástár BTK Zenetudományi Intézet Ft.688.4+ (April 4, 1969). Dance video 1 min., 13 sec. https://youtu.be/3AXdFxMBwSk. ———. AAWM 25 Example 2C: ”Legényes.” Ferenc Bíro Fekete -- 4-bar seg, music and dance phrasing, motives. Adapted from Néptanc Tudástár BTK Zenetudományi Intézet Ft.688.4+ (April 4, 1969), dance video 1 min., 13 sec. https://youtu.be/7SKrSdSkVJ4. ———. AAWM 25 Example 3: ”Legényes.” Performed by István Mátyás Mundruc, Magyarvista (Viștea jud. Cluj). Copy of Konyvtaros. Magyarvistai legényes - Mátyás István "Mundruc" - kalotaszegi táncdialektus YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qwb3UCXd98. Combines Ft. 616.3, 616.4 and 616.6 from Martin, György et al, collector. 1967. “Legényes.” Performed by István Mátyás Mundruc, Magyarvista (Viştea jud. Cluj), September 1. Martin, György et al, collector. 1967. https://neptanctudastar.abtk.hu/en/dances?Names=%5B%22leg%C3%A9nyes%22%5D &Sources=%5B%22M%C3%A1ty%C3%A1s+Istv%C3%A1n+%5C%22Mundruc%5C %22%22%5D.&SearchResult=4. [This video at: https://youtu.be/4JgHIYU9JY4.] Olson: Hitting the Beat 23 ———. AAWM 25 Example 5: ”Ritka Szökős." Performed by János Fodor Selyem, Erzsébet Fodor Jánosné Fodor. Taken from Kallós, Zoltán and Pesovár Ferenc. 1964. Video Ft.802.18a-c. 1 min. 8 sec. Video Ft 802.16a-b. 53 sec. Néptanc Tudástár BTK Zenetudományi Intézet (Knowledge Base of Traditional Dances, RCH Institute for Musicology). See also ”Szökős.” Performed by József Kiss [and wife], Visa (Vișea jud. Cluj). Video Ft.802.16a-b. ———. 2010. AAWM 25 Example 6: “Cut version of Party in Visa, August 3, 2010.” Dance video by author. Posted November 6, 2023. YouTube, 3:34. https://youtu.be/PVPd8r9_-hM. ———. 2010. “AAWM 25 Example 7: Enthusiastic Dancer in Visa, August 3, 2010.” Performed by Magyarpalata Banda, Náci Mácsingó, prímás (Visa (Vișea jud. Cluj), performers from Magyarpalatka (Pălatca jud. Cluj). Dance video by author. Posted November 6, 2023. YouTube, 1:11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnLVVNzl6Rg. ———. 2022. “AAWM 25 Example 8: Band and Dancer Interactions in Visa, July 20, 2022.” Performed by Magyarpalata Banda, Florin Kodoba, prímás (Visa (Vișea jud. Cluj), performers from Magyarpalatka (Pălatca jud. Cluj). Dance video by author. Posted November 6, 2023. YouTube, 1:34. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEt9HqoazE&t=5s. Kallós, Zoltán and Dénes, Zoltán, collectors. 2003. 2003. “Palatkai banda -- lassú cigánytánc, szökős és sűrű csárdás.” Performed by Lőrinc Kodoba, Călin Matingo, and Ştefan Moldovan (Visa (Vișea jud. Cluj), performers from Magyarpalatka (Pălatca jud. Cluj), April 26. Video, 8 min., 55 sec. Posted March 27, 2020 by Minden, ami népzene. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTGSOLCBnUY. Folklór Adatbázis attributed, but not found on that site. Also at: Judyolson1. “AAWM 25 Example 1: Palatkai banda -- lassú cigánytánc, szökős és sűrű csárdás.” Music video. Posted November 9, 2023. YouTube, 8:55. https://youtu.be/xFFR0X6zY2g. 24 Analytical Approaches to World Musics 13.1 (2025) Kallós, Zoltán and Pesovár, Ferenc. 1964. ”Ritka Szökős.” Performed by János Fodor Selyem and Erzsébet Fodor Jánosné Fodor, Visa (Vișea jud. Cluj), April. Video Ft.802.18a-c. 1 min. 8 sec. Néptanc Tudástár BTK Zenetudományi Intézet (Knowledge Base of Traditional Dances, RCH Institute for Musicology). https://neptanctudastar.abtk.hu/en/dances?C=%5B%22Kall%C3%B3s+Zolt%C3%A1n %22%5D&SearchResult=13. ———. 1964. ”Szökős.” Performed by József Kiss [and wife], Visa (Vișea jud. Cluj), April. Video Ft.802.16a-b. 53 sec. Néptanc Tudástár BTK Zenetudományi Intézet (Knowledge Base of Traditional Dances, RCH Institute for Musicology). https://neptanctudastar.abtk.hu/en/dances?C=%5B%22Kall%C3%B3s+Zolt%C3%A1n %22%5D&SearchResult=13. Martin, György et al, collector. 1967. “Legényes.” Performed by István Mátyás Mundruc, Magyarvista (Viştea jud. Cluj), September 1. Video, Ft.616.2, 1 min., 38 sec.; Ft.616.3 1 min., 45 sec.; Ft.616.4, 1 min., 26 sec.; Ft.616.5, 1 min., 40 sec.; Ft616.6, 1 min., 44 sec.; Ft.616.7, 1 min., 46 sec., Ft.616.8, 1 min., 22 sec; Néptanc Tudástár BTK Zenetudományi Intézet (Knowledge Base of Traditional Dances, RCH Institute for Musicology https://neptanctudastar.abtk.hu/en/dances). https://neptanctudastar.abtk.hu/en/dances?Names=%5B%22leg%C3%A9nyes%22%5D &Sources=%5B%22M%C3%A1ty%C3%A1s+Istv%C3%A1n+%5C%22Mundruc%5C %22%22%5D.&SearchResult=4. ———. 1968. “Legényes.” Performed by Fekete János, Jr. Poncsa, Bogártelke (Băgara jud. Cluj), July 28. Video Ft.637.1, 1 min., 12 sec.; Ft.637.2, 1 min., 22 sec.; Ft.637.3, 1 min., 34 sec.; Ft.637.5, 1 min., 15 sec.; Ft6137.7, 1 min., 16 sec.; Ft.637.8, 1 min., 40 sec., Ft.637.10, 51 sec, Ft.637.11, 59 sec; Néptanc Tudástár BTK Zenetudományi Intézet (Knowledge Base of Traditional Dances, RCH Institute for Musicology https://neptanctudastar.abtk.hu/en/dances). https://neptanctudastar.abtk.hu/en/dances?Names=%5B%22leg%C3%A9nyes%22%5D &Sources=%5B%22Fekete+J%C3%A1nos+%5C%22Poncsa%5C%22+ifj.%22%5D. ———. 1969. “Legényes.” Performed by Ferenc Bíró Fekete, Bogártelke (Băgara jud. Cluj), April 4. Video Ft.688.4+, 1 min., 7 sec. Néptanc Tudástár BTK Zenetudományi Olson: Hitting the Beat 25 Intézet (Knowledge Base of Traditional Dances, RCH Institute for Musicology). https://neptanctudastar.abtk.hu/hu/dances?Names=%5B%22leg%C3%A9nyes%22%5 D&Sources=%5B%22Fekete+B%C3%ADr%C3%B3+Ferenc%22%5D. FIELD EXPERIENCE 2000-2019, 2021-24. Participation at dance camps and village events in Transylvania. 1980-2025. Dance and violin instruction with village and táncház musicians and dancers in Transylvania, Hungary, United States, and Canada. 1983-present: Organizing táncház and Hungarian community events in New York.