Since 1951, the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble has been accumulating the authentic folk dances, music and costumes from rural Hungary and Hungarian-inhabited areas, preserving their traditional culture first with countrywide and now worldwide tours of their energetic live performances.
The vibrantly-costumed ensemble performs choreography based on the exuberant dances of rural villages, and some dance elements date back hundreds of years. Both a Folk and Gypsy Orchestra play live folk music with authentic Hungarian folk instruments and draw on a lush repertoire that apparently inspired composers from Liszt to Brahms. See the 90-member ensemble when its North American tour stops in Clearwater this Saturday night.
Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, 8 p.m. Sat., April 7, Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 N. McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater, $30-$45, 727-791-7400, rutheckerdhall.com.
This article appears in Apr 4-10, 2007.