The Smithsonian Folklife Festival will take place on the National Mall from June 26 through June 30 and from July 3 through 7. Among the special programs included in this year’s festival is Hungarian Heritage: Roots to Revival, which brings together a combined total of around one hundred dancers, craftspeople, cooks, and musicians to celebrate Hungarian culture. In an interview posted on the festival homepage, co-directors Jim Deutsch and Agnes Fülemele give a basic introduction to Hungary and discuss the importance of expressing a rich cultural tradition that was censored under communist rule. Says Fülemile:
“In the last two decades of socialism in Hungary there is (was) a very strong revival movement. Those generations of musicians and dancers and craftsman practically pilgrimaged to the original localities, learning the authentic expressions, and practicing these traditions gave a very special opportunity for this young generation to express their own straightforward identity and criticism of socialism.”
Along with other programs (One World, Many Voices; The Will to Adorn) from the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, musical performances from Hungarian Heritage will also take place at The Kennedy Center’s Millenium Stage starting on June 26.