Dance group zipping across the globe

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/09/2012 (4958 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Talk about sore feet.

Barely a day after taking their last bows during Folklorama, the Karpat Hungarian Folk Dancers of Winnipeg found themselves jetting across the Atlantic to perform with hundreds of peers from across the globe.

It was the second time youth in the group had an opportunity  to represent Canada at the annual Vendegsegben Budapesten–Kulhoni Maggar Fiatalok Talalkozoja, or the Hungarian Youth Conference, where they performed for local dignitaries and the general public.

“To be chosen a second time was a great honour,” said dance group leader Agi Libor, who, along with 16 of the group’s youth, returned from the trip on Aug. 21.

The conference included 450 Hungarian youth from 16 countries coming together to make friendships, and learn about their history, culture and language.

Libor applied to the conference for the first time last year as a way to instill cultural pride and build camaraderie in the young dancers.

“(It’s important) for the members of this group to meet other young Hungarians who don’t live in Hungary and have this experience learning about their country and culture of origin,” said Libor, who has visited Hungary eight times.

Founded in 1987, the local Karpat dancers promote and preserve Hungarian culture through learning and performing traditional folk song and dance from the many regions of the country.

The group splits its practices between the Hungarian Cultural Society on Selkirk Avenue in the North End and Dakota Collegiate in St. Vital. They have been a Folklorama mainstay, with performances at the Pan Am Games and in the U.S. under their belts.

Emerich Kovacs III, who has been dancing with the group since he was five, didn’t hesitate to jump at a third opportunity to visit his homeland.

Each visit builds upon the last one, he said, noting the many friends and family he gets a chance to reconnect with.

“It would take a lifetime to learn all the culture and history,” said Kovacs, 19, a mechanical engineering student at the University of Manitoba.

For Korri Pedro, the recent visit was a chance to get a real taste of the culture she’s worked hard to promote through Folklorama the last six years.

“It’s so beautiful there, all the architecture, the castles,” said Pedro, 16, who lives in Fort Rouge.

“I got to meet family I have there for the first time and got to see how people live there. It was a great experience. Not everyone gets to travel across the world.”

The dancers are currently preparing for the Western Canadian Hungarian Folk Festival, set to take place in Vancouver during the Thanksgiving long weekend, Libor said.

The group will also bring in a guest instructor in October to teach them more dances from the regions of Hungary — some of which may wind up in next year’s Folklorama show.

“We always have to maintain a repertoire, but we add to it every year,”Libor said.

The group is always looking for new members. Those interested are encouraged to drop in, Libor said.

For more info, contact Libor at 231-2009, or email karpat@mymts.net.

 

matt.preprost@canstarnews.com