The Big 1000 Hungarian performers marked their homeland's 1st millennium
By ROSEMARY CLANDOS, Special to The Times
The central European country of Hungary turned 1,000 in the year of 2000, and to
celebrate, Tarzana-based Thalia Studio -- the only permanent Hungarian theater
group in the United States -- performed a historical drama Sunday at Cal
State Northridge.
Musicians and members of Karpatok, a Hungarian folk-dance ensemble,
also performed.
The contemporary drama centers on the life of King Stephen, who unified
independent territories and established Hungary's borders on Aug. 20, 1000.
He turned the army from an aggressive force under the ancestors of Attila
the Hun to a defensive one and made Christianity the official religion.
The play moves to the 20th century and illustrates the consequences of
Stephen's actions, as well as the effects of World Wars I and II and the
1956 revolution.
Although the play is in Hungarian, director-actor Tibor Wargha said
people who do not know the language will be able to understand because the
action, music and dance are self-explanatory.
Laszlo Gaspar, manager of the Karpatok folk-dance ensemble, said the
best way to describe Hungarian dance is "Riverdance meets gypsies." Dancers
absorbed the influences of Asians, Turks and other Middle Easterners who
ruled the country in the 16th and 17th centuries. Adding to the cultural mix
were gypsies from as far away as India, who contributed an ornate style to
Hungarian folk songs and dance.
For women, folk dances were a way to express life's joys and sorrows.
For men, the dances were a lure into battle.
"Military recruiters would come to towns and show their dexterity and
athleticism through dance," Gaspar said. "The next thing you know, young men
were off to military careers."
About 120,000 Hungarians immigrated to the United States after the 1956
revolution, but the community has always lacked a strong center, Wargha
said. This concerns those who want to preserve the culture and language.
"I lived here for two years and I didn't know anybody from the
Hungarian community," said Livia Feher, who studied ballet in Hungary for 10
years and dances with the Karpatok ensemble.
Wargha said cultural activities are a unifying thread for the nearly
15,000 Hungarians living in the San Fernando Valley and the 50,000
expatriates elsewhere in Southern California.
Shortly after Balazs Toth, 22, of Chatsworth, came to the United States
in November, he joined the dance group.
"I love the Hungarian dance, and I need friends and exercise," said
Toth, who was a dancer and metalworker in Hungary.
Thalia Studio is based at Grace Hungarian Church in Tarzana.
The event is co-sponsored by the Hungarian consulate in Los Angeles.
Consul General Marta Fekszy-Horvath said Hungarian culture, with its many
ethnic minorities, enriches American culture. Hungary has had times of
internal strife, she said, but people of different backgrounds have learned
to live together peacefully.
(L.A. Times)
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