SZOLNOK FOLK DANCE GROUP
Group leader: Dr.Kovacs Sandorne
Address: 5000 SZOLNOK, Madach utca 9-11.
HUNGARY
Our group established in 1987 with high school students in a town called Szolnok, on the east side of Hungary. Our aim was to teach the students the traditional folkdances from all around Hungary. Few years later our group had more than 60 members.
From 1989, we have a very strong relationship with a German folkdance group called “Dorf und Natur”. We have been to Germany for many times and they also came to Hungary.
Since 1991, we also have good friendship with a Transylvanian and a Finnish dance group.
In 1992 we got the honor to use the name of our town. Our association’s name became SZOLNOK Tancegyuttes, which means us that we proved with our knowledge that we can deserve the name of the town. We are still very proud of this.
After one year in 1993 we organized our first INTERNATIONAL FOLKDANCE FESTIVAL in Szolnok. German, Finnish and Hungarian students were learning each other’s dances.
The event was very successful, and we decided to organize it again in Badacsony, on the west side of Hungary.
By that time, our group was very successful, and in 2001 with 35 students we had a 3weeks long tour around Germany, France and Italy.
One year later, in 2002 we also organized our INTERNATIONAL FOLKDANCE FESTIVAL.
By that time, although we are a folkdance group we started to teach traditional instruments for example jitter to our students and also put effort on teaching Hungarian traditional folksongs. Our folksong groups, especially to boys win many FRIST places around Hungarian competitions.
In 2005 we got one of our biggest regard; we had an invitation from JAPAN, to make a dance tour around OSAKA. We had a one week tour there with 25 dancers and singers.
Two years later we have been invited to Finland to dance for Santa Claus. Since our students are mostly under 20 years old, they were all very interested to meet the “real” Santa.
In 2010 we organized a HUNGARIAN FOLKSONG COMPETITION for high school students.
Countries were we have been performed:
AUSTRIA, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, HUNGARY, ITALY, JAPAN, LUXEMBOURG, POLAND, RUMANIA, SLOVAKIA, SLOVENIA