This event series featuring the award winners from the "Felszállott a Páva” television programme presents the history of Hungarian folk dance and its regional variations in an enjoyable and accessible way.
Hungarian folk art, dance and music are incredibly diverse and unique. Everything which has disappeared further west as a result of industrialisation and urbanisation can be found in the Carpathian Basin, a meeting point for East and West both geographically and culturally. The trends of Western Europe may have extended as far as the villages of the Carpathian Basin, but they have not yet made it further east. Even today, the region's extremely rich dance traditions preserve many aspects of the old European styles, from the circle dances of the Middle Ages to jumping dances, and from Renaissance partner dances to the new styles represented by the csárdás.
The 'Fölszállott a Páva” TV talent show showcases the unique richness and outstanding quality of Hungarian folk dance and folk music. Three seasons have been made so far, with the show proving to be a roaring success, bringing record viewing numbers not just in Hungary but across the Carpathian Basin and even among the Hungarian diaspora further afield. The success of the show is a sign of a huge interest in Hungarian folk art, dance and music.
The Peacock Matinee performances present Hungarian folk dance and music in terms of its history and regional variety, highlighting the interconnectedness of the historic cultural relationships between styles of Hungarian folk art, helping to make the show itself even more interesting and varied.

The verbunk and the csárdás
During Hungary's Reform Era, which lasted from 1825 until 1848, the country's national awakening yielded new forms of dance that spread everywhere Hungarian was spoken: the verbunk and the csárdás. Regional differences blurred and this uniform and romantic dance emphasising ethnic character was born.
The Danube (western) dialect
Dance culture west of the Danube was characterised by its increasing bourgeois character, with the dances, nevertheless, being preserved in a quite antiquated state in some places. Typical types of dances: shepherd dances, jumping dances, the "karikázó” girls' dance, and the slow and fresh csárdás.
The Tisza (central) dialect
The development of a bourgeoisie commenced later in this area, meaning that its dance culture, in spite of new fashions in dance, was generally more old-fashioned in character than in Transdanubia. Typical types of dances: shepherd dances, verbunks, and the slow and fresh csárdás.


Presented by: Public Service Foundation for Hungarian Culture