Interview with Csárdás Dance Company

Csárdás Dance Company. Photo courtesy of InMotion Photography.

With beautifully embroidered costumes and energetic music, Hungarian folk dancing is rooted in rich culture and heritage.

It originally began as a pastime for villagers many years ago. Although folk dancing may not be a part of daily life in Hungary anymore, it is still celebrated and embraced by many people.

Here is a featured interview with professional dance company Csárdás located in Cleveland, Ohio.

Tell us a bit about Csárdás Dance Company? How did it get started?

Csárdás Dance Company was founded in 1994 by Richard Graber who served as Executive Director, along with Artistic Director, Christopher Smith. Richard was always interested in the art of dance and began learning Hungarian ethnic dances at the age of 14 through the Cleveland Hungarian Scouts and later studied modern dance and classical ballet in Cleveland. He is a graduate of the Ohio State University Department of Dance. He performed as principal dancer with the Zivili Kolo Ensemble. In 1994, Richard founded Csárdás Dance Company and was awarded a dance research and study grant from the Ohio Arts Council to study ethnic dance in Budapest and Romania. In addition, Richard studied under Dance Master Dr. Sándor Timár, former artistic director of the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble and current director of Csillagszemu Táncegyüttes.

For those that are unfamiliar with traditional Hungarian dance and music, can you describe your different styles and interpretations?

Csárdás dances are pure joy, high spirits and excitement! Csárdás Dance Company presents traditional and contemporary works stemming from Hungarian heritage. Traditional dance idioms can be representative of a town, counties and regions, such as the region of Sárköz, the county Zemplén and the town Kalocsa. Contemporary works showcase traditional dance idioms to modern music.

What type of costumes or traditional outfits do your dancers wear?

All the dances performed by Csárdás are in traditional costumes representative of the area or place the dance originates – you can see pictures of our costumes at our website www.csardasdance.com.

How often do your dancers rehearse?

Csárdás Dance Company. Photo courtesy of InMotion Photography.

We rehearse once per week for 2-3 hours, sometimes more dependent on performance schedule. Rehearsals are mandatory for all dance company members.

The Csárdás Dance Company has toured locally, nationally, and internationally, can you tell us a bit about your performances?

Our performances vary from 30-60 minutes in length and encompass a variety of dance repertoire. We sometimes integrate educational aspects into our performances with slideshows of Hungarian landscapes, fashion shows and commentary.

What type of classes and workshops do you offer?

Csárdás offers on-going weekly classes for students after the audition process. We also offer occasional workshops for the general public and will instruct on an as-needed basis for educational institutes and other organizations.

Any additional comments you would like to share with us?

Csárdás Dance Company has performed throughout the region as well as in Hungary by special invitation. Our youth dancers had the privilege of taking part of a dance camp sponsored and taught by folk dance Master Sándor Timár, during the summer 2007.

Locally, we have performed for thousands of children in schools through our successful lecture demonstration series of performances. The ensemble has also had the privilege of performing with the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra to special choreographies created by Founder Richard Graber to Brahms Hungarian Dances 5 and 6 and Dvorák Slavonic Dance.

Csárdás Dance Company celebrated our 15th anniversary in 2009. This occasion has been recognized in the United States Congressional Record.

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Csárdás Dance Company
P.O. Box 391147
Cleveland, Ohio 44139
E-mail: info@csardasdance.com
Website: http://www.csardasdance.com