Bokréta: "Reconquering culture" one folk dance at a time

If you are a regular reader of 100 Years in America, you know the appreciation that I have for the heritage and culture of my Hungarian and Croatian ancestors. Living far from their homelands, however, it is not always easy to retain a part of those cultures within the life of my own family, even though I am only a few generations removed from my immigrant ancestors. As stated so well by the famous Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály:

"You cannot inherit culture.
Ancestral traditions disappear rapidly unless
each generation re-conquers them for itself."
~ Zoltán Kodály

One aspect of culture that I would love to "reconquer" in my family is the folk dance of my ancestors. Along those lines I am happy to help announce the Bokréta Hungarian Folklore Ensemble's Winter Workshop in Montreal. The workshop, now over ten years old, will run from February 12-14, 2010 and will for the first time also include a concurrent children's workshop.

As the website states, "Hungarian folk dance and music enthusiasts have been gathering in Montreal every Valentine's weekend to learn to improvise folk dances and music. This year, the Montreal Winter Workshop is pleased to once again present some of the best dancers and musicians directly from Europe." The 2010 workshop will also feature a new twist: it will introduce Gypsy dances, music, and songs from Moldava nad Bodvou (Szepsi), Slovakia, which according to the Bokréta website, have never before been seen in North America.

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Love Hungarian and Slovakian music but don't want to dance yourself? Plan to attend the Bokréta Gala Concert on February 11 featuring the workshop musicians from Europe.

For information, workshop registration and/or concert tickets visit the Bokréta website.

Image of the Bokréta Hungarian dancers thanks to Sergui Popa.

Thanks to Folklor Digest for announcing the event.