Articles by Initial Letters

Traditional dancer Fodor ‘Selyem’ János (Visa 1932–2025). After visiting the village of Visa/Vișea in Transylvania’s Mezőség region for over 25 years, for the last four years dancer Szappanos Tamás has been living there. Tamás encourages a group of local young folks to keep dancing their local traditional dances, while taking advantage of every possibility to talk with the older folks about their dances. Fodor Selyem János is/was known both locally and by folk dance researchers from Hungary as an exceptional traditional dancer. His dancing has been documented and can be found in Budapest’s folk dance archives, Fodor held the title of “Master of Folk Arts”. He and his wife danced beautifully together. Tamás writes: “In Visa in the old days no one taught the young people to dance. At traditional dance events, the kids would watch the dancing so they could ‘steal’ figures and style, then they’d practice somewhere when no one was watching.” Tamás found out early on that what works in Budapest for dancing Mezőség, doesn’t work in Visa. From Selyem János he learned about “the inner working structure of the Visa dances, how to step in the slow section of the dance, how the dance is built up and the dance motifs (dance figures) are ‘stitched together’ in the csárdás…” – and so much more. Szappanos feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to watch, learn from and talk with Fodor János – and other traditional dancers in Visa. “Thank you for everything Master! Rest in Peace!” By Szappanos Tamás.