Táncház ('dance-house) is a traditional method of teaching folk dance and music that integrates practical learning with modern pedagogical and academic methods.
It is a casual Hungarian folk dance gathering, which is different from stage performances and part of the Hungarian roots revival of traditional culture, which started in the mid-to-late 1970s, but remains active across the country, especially in cities like Budapest. The word Táncház comes from the tradition of having danced at homes in Transylvania.
This dance is also performed in The United States, Hungarian dance groups like Csurdöngölo (in New Jersey), Tisza Ensemble (in Washington, D.C.), Kárpátok (in Los Angeles), Életfa (in New York and New Jersey), and Csárdás (in Cleveland) that present the feel of the táncház on stage, and camps including Ti Ti Tábor (in Washington state) and Csipke (in Michigan) that teach North Americans the music and dance of the people of the nation. Hungarian dance houses even are regularly held in London by Csergo Band.
Moreover, ethnic Hungarians outside of Hungary are also celebrated by the táncház movement, such as those in Transylvania, Slovakia, and Moldavia's Siret River valley. In Romania, there are three streets: Felszeg, Csipkeszeg, and Forrószeg, which each had a táncház. The dance houses in Csipkeszeg and Forrószeg have both been restored or rebuilt: the Csipkeszeg dance house has been turned into a museum, while Forrószeg has been rebuilt into a gallery that shows images of dance houses taken by Korniss Péter, a photographer from Budapest.
The dancing accompanied by live music may also enhance dancers' skills and abilities. A dancer learns a dance from an experienced member or tradition bearer by observing and imitating them, as well as by creating their own level of creativity. Participants can become active participants regardless of age, competence, or prior exposure. Other activities, such as singing instruction, handicraft activities, and ethnographic presentations, are also included. Táncház is also used in art schools and at every level of education. These methods influence folk dance and music performances.
Among the largest meetings of bearers, mediators, and enthusiasts are the annual National Táncház Festival and Fair. In addition, age-specific Táncház-es have developed as well as workshops, camps, playhouses, and handicraft clubs. The publications help popularize Táncház and to refine and transmit its methodologies. The public has access to archival recordings through folk dance and music resource centers. Every month, the Csipkeszeg Foundation keeps organizes a Hungarian dance house in Sic/Szék. So, each community can use the model to safeguard and transmit its intangible cultural heritage through direct acquisition, therefore preserving its diversity.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/BSP/tnchz-method-a-hungarian-model-for-the-transmission-of-intangible-cultural-heritage-00515) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%A1nch%C3%A1z)