Hungarian National Circus

Kamilla on the back of Szandra, the cutest Indian elephant, during the break.
It was obvious that the circus will soon travel throughout Europe with this show. There were a lot of Hungarian motifs, and most of the cast wore traditional Hungarian clothing.

Took Kamilla to a circus production. The last time we went was five years ago when we were still in Budapest, before we moved to Georgia. It was quite a pleasant experience. The circus team was lead by Gedeon Richter. The Richter family is a really old circus family in Hungary and they made me nostalgic with the classic traditional circus acts that I remember from my childhood.

Bluegrass in Hungary

I was really suprised to see the outfits the guys were wearing. Where are the beards and baseball caps. . . ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gp9G157S18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nOoZJTxh30&feature=related

I had the chance to see a Hungarian bluegrass band tonight (The Banjo Jumping Band) in the small town of Dunaujvaros, where my parents live. The concert was a part of a summer concert series held in a beautiful park that is built around a gazebo.

Well, bluegrass is getting popular in Europe, but these boys definitely have a lot to learn. I am spoiled now, since I live in the land of bluegrass and can hear the best bluegrass music on a daily basis (This is definitely a friendly tribute to my friends at Blue Ridge Music).

Midsummer Night

Solstice celebrations still center around the day of the astronomical summer solstice. Some choose to hold the rite on the 21st of June, even when this is not the longest day of the year, and some celebrate June 24th, the day of the solstice in Roman times.

Although Midsummer is originally a pagan holiday, in Christianity it is associated with the nativity of John the Baptist, which is observed on the same day, June 24. It is a very fun day in Hungary called Szent Ivan Éj, meaning St. John's Night and on this night everything is possible according to the legends. Especially in the field of LOVE. In most towns people make bonfires, and lovers who want to stay together forever leap over the flames. Old people keep a lot of sour cream at home that day just in case burnt feet need to be treated. In Pecs, we celebrate the longest day and the climax of the sun with a lot of concerts, activities and of course fires.

Street market pictures

Pecs at night

Love the weather here. No humidity at all. And the nights are incredible.

All last night at the museums

Op Art by Vasarely, a Pecs born, internationally recognized painter.
The Pecs Chamber Choir (with several of my friends in it) giving a concert at the Csontvary Museum. Tivadar Csontvary Kosztka, the painter, is worth checking out.
Silk, canvas and tile painting in the Archeological Museum where the theme of the night was The Turks.
Children creating in the style of VASARELY.
The Hungarian TV recording as the kids are working with leather at the History of Pecs Museum. The town has had a leather factory for centuries.

Every year there is a night in Pecs (around Midsummer's night) when for the price of one, you can visit all museums any time between 5 pm and 12 am. This is a special night with all sorts of extra programs, lectures, slide shows, dances, concerts and handicrafts for children. Kamilla and I spent six hours in our favourite museums. We had a lot of fun.

Miqueu Montanaro from close up

Here is the closest picture you could (I could) ever take of Miqueu Montanaro and here is the story of how I did it.

Here is Miqueu Montanaro (in black shirt with pink scarf) and the East Wind at a recent concert.

Ten minutes before the concert I was shopping at this booth, at the street market, that sold handmade Hungarian recorders and flutes. And who did I meet at the tent . . .

. . . Of course Miqueu trying out the instruments. He gave me permission in Hungarian to take a couple of pictures of him and of course the master of the recorders. Here he is playing two recorders: one double one with a two-note-scale, and then he grabbed a second one, too. He sounded like a one-man-band . But then the recorder maker joined in . . . too bad I don't have a recording to go with the picture. Neverthelss . . . its a precious photo! More info on Miqueu below.

Miqueu Montanaro plays many instruments: alto saxophone, accordion, varoius flutes and other curiosities. The instruments speak the language Montanaro taught them: jazz, music from the east of Europe and improvised music. And there isn't a country where his name would not be known. This Hungarian origin, French musician played in Pecs tonight with his legendary band East Wind (Vents D'Est) again for the first time in a long time. It is real genuine European music at its best (most recognizably French, Hungarian, Turkish and more influence from the Balkans.) Tonight Gulserem Yildirin, a Turkish singer and dancer, and Gyongyi Ecsi a Hungarian singer and painter performed with them, too.

I didn't take video footage of them, but this youtube clip definitely captures the atmosphere of their concerts and the East European spirit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pDlu1oPjHI

World music

http://www.pecsiprogramok.hu/program.php?id=3013

Chris Miller, you might like this . . .

I was suprised to see the new formation of Bela Agoston, who was my college classmate at the University of Pecs. He already played all sorts of musical instruments then, but he mostly did Hungarian folk music. In this new formation he creates an exotic feeling by playing a steel drum. By the way, he is the first one in Hungary to do so. Oh, I love world music!!! Bela blends Caribbean music with Hungarian and Romanian folk music and who knows what else . . . but that makes it even more exciting. Click on the link above to see this amazing intersection of Caribbean and European folk music. You'll also catch a glimpse of the Hungarian language.

Breakdancing from South Korea

A friendly battle between Seoul and Pecs breakdancers at the end of the show. The Koreans got all my family members' votes.

Kamilla with a couple of the Dodo Fusion Harmony drummer girls after the concert. They were very friendly and interested in our Korean students at RGNS.

The breakdancer boys and the drummmer girls at the same time.

A Hungarian taekwondo team with the Korean flag before the concert.

Two of the drummer girls in action.

The Last For One and Dodo Fusion Harmony groups performed tonight in my hometown. They were sensational! The Last For One dance group from Seoul performed in the street dance category mixing very different styles. They are known all over the world (I bet our Nacoochee-Goochee Boys know them well, too) and followed by an international entourage. It was a lot of fun watching them.

Dodo Fusion Harmony is an excellent representative of female Korean percussion music. They reinterpret traditional Korean music and conquer new horizons with this new and vibrant version that they do in an amazingly professional way. Their feet, arms, and heads were moving in a different rhythm pattern most of the time. Incredible!

Summer heat in Pecs

"Viz" in Hungarian means water. This is a classic water sprinkler truck trying to refreshen the streets of Pecs.

One of the oldest fountains in Pecs at Cathedral square.

New fountain at the main square that lights up at night.

After the early June cool front in Hungary (they had a fall-like temperature of 12 degrees Celsius, that is in the 50s Fahrenheit), real summer arrived and the people behave in a real Mediterranean way. Ladies wear hardly anything and children bathe in all the fountains. And they certainly have a choice of water fountains. These are pictures from one trip to dowtown on an hot afternoon. Kamilla tried five of the fountains.

Renaissance day for children

Kamilla is sweeping dirt off of the jaw of the "play" skeleton that was there to provide an archeological experience for the kids.

The old walls of Pecs . . .

Kamilla got to experience a day yesterday in the spirit of the Middle Ages. The idea of this fest is really the same as Atlanta has with the Renaissance Fair, or our school (the Rabun Gap Nacoochee School) with Shakespeare Day. The activities are very similar too, but the scene is very REAL. Nobody has to build old looking walls from paper or castle towers from plastic to create the atmosphere. It was in a newly recovered and remodeled park between the old city walls facing the towers of the cathedral built in the 13th century.

Sheketak in Pecs

Israeli group Sheketak performed last night in front of the Cathedral "Rythm in Motion". This twelve-member group can create rythm for almost anything, even puppets or old saucepans. And they certainly did. This energetic, funny and spectacular act made its debut in Tel Aviv in the world famous Hot Dance Festival. Following this success, the show toured the globe. Enjoy a little taste of this experience, watching this short clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VX1v0pj9v4

Pecs 2010

If you follow my blog this summer, you will get a great guide to the European Capital of Culture. My hometown, Pecs, was nominated and selected for this title and from June onwards is hosting a string of cultural events. Since I am back home, and will be participating in most of these events, I will try to pick out the best ones.
The spotlight this week is the National Theatre Festival, now in its tenth year. The best Magyar companies, both in and outside the country, come to Pecs for this competition. I couldn't believe when I saw the program; they show four plays that I actually teach in my world literature courses. (two Gogol pieces, and two Chekhov plays)