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	MacholHungaria Israeli Folkdance Camp - a bit different, but still the same

Machol Hungaria
A bit different, but still the same that is dancing or teaching, or else both

In 2006 it is already the 8th year when one of Europe's biggest dance seminars is going to be organized by the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) Office for Hungary in cooperation with Hora Budapest.


Machol Hungaria is a successfully run international spring dance course for many years, where the Israeli choreographers and dance instructors are teaching their own or others dances, thus selecting and presenting the newest hits and the evergreen classics of Israeli folk dancing.


The seminar attracts approximately 250 enthusiastic dancers every year around the end of April or beginning of May, when the miracle happens in a camp in Szarvas (a small town in the South of Hungary), which is owned by Ronald S. Lauder and run/operated by the JDC.

The enthusiastic dancers of Machol Hungaria are coming primarily from Central and Eastern Europe, but in the past years the number of attendants has been enlarged by dancers coming from Western Europe, USA and Israel.


The main aim of the seminar is not only teaching the dances and extending the dance knowledge, but also giving over a specific and special knowledge and experience based on the themes selected for the seminar. The topics are derived from the Jewish history, traditions, Israel and the Jewish cultural aspects and the dances learnt are connected to the theme of the year.


Every day there are teaching sessions in the morning and in the afternoon optional workshops are held by the Israeli staff that are also connected in some way to dances and the theme of the seminar.

The evening programmes are such interactive performances - all the participants get an active role in it- where special aspects of Jewish tradition and history are highlighted like music, dances, tastes, background information, details and atmosphere. Some topics to be mentioned from the previous years: Jewish holidays, Yemenite and Chassidic wedding, Greek influence on Israeli culture, foundation of the State of Israel etc.

All the abovementioned wonderful events are supplemented by the unique atmosphere of the camp, which reminds us mostly of a lively kibbutz: small and separate blocks of houses, sport fields, a big dining hall, swimming pool, playground, air-conditioned gym for dancing etc. The camp is run on a traditional basis, all the meals are kosher and the Kabbalat Shabat is held in the small synagogue which can be found also in the camp.

The evening programmes are followed by a harkada until late at night, and that the last night it turns into a marathon lasting until the morning. The teaching is held on different levels, beginners, intermediate and advanced levels, therefore everyone can chose the appropriate learning level that is fitting his/her knowledge. Besides all the programmes participants can find lots of occasions for meeting dancers from other countries. Every year the T-shirt of the seminar and the audio material are prepared, and given to each dancer in order to make the experience of the week more memorable.


In contrast to other dance seminars we are trying to invite other choreographers year by year, except for Oren Ashkenazi, our the Art Director, who has been working with us in the last five years on finding out the theme of the seminar and on elaborating the programme. In the past seven years almost all the generations of the representatives of Israeli folk dancing have appeared in Machol Hungaria starting from the elder generation, the legends (like Musa Ashkenazi, Seadia Amishai, Moshe Telem), onwards the young-looking middle-aged (like Victor Gabbay, Batia Kronenberg, Tuvia Tishler, Meir Shem Tov, Shlomo Maman) up to the rising talents (like Sergei Tonkonogi). On every seminar we are putting a big emphasis that all generations are represented in the Israeli staff, therefore the participants have the opportunity to get to know the different personalities and styles.