Katalin Csécsi – Folk Dance

"The greatest gift we can give our children: roots and wings." — Goethe

Born: Szeged, with roots from Upper Hungary (Felvidék) and the Great Plain (Alföld)

Education:

  • 1995–2000: General Social Work, University of Szeged (SZOTE), Hungary

Dance Career:

  • Since 2007: Choreographer and female dance leader of the Vadrózsák Folk Dance Ensemble; freelance dance artist

  • Oct 2001 – 2016: Professional dancer, Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, Budapest

  • Mar 2001 – Oct 2001: Professional dancer, Budapest Dance Ensemble, Budapest

  • 1999–2000: Amateur dancer, Csűrdöngölő Folk Dance Ensemble, New Brunswick, USA

  • 1997–1999: Folk dance teacher, Kis Borica Children’s Folk Dance Ensemble, Szeged

  • 1985–2001: Amateur dancer, JATE Bálint Sándor Folk Dance Ensemble (under Zoltán Patyi), Szeged

Major Achievements:

  • 2005: Special Prize, International Solo Dance Competition

  • 2004: “Young Master of Folk Art” award, Hungarian Ministry of Culture

Currently, I work as a freelance dancer and serve as the leader and choreographer of the Budapest-based Vadrózsák Folk Dance Ensemble (www.vadrozsak.hu). The group holds the “Qualified Ensemble” status from the György Martin Folk Dance Association. We have performed successfully at the opening ceremony of the 17th FINA World Championships and reached the live finals of the 2017 season of the televised talent show Fölszállott a páva. In autumn 2018, we toured successfully for two weeks within the Hungarian diaspora of Eastern Canada. Our dancers have also appeared in notable large-scale films, such as Károly Eperjes’s Hungarian Passion.

For over 10 years, I have been the female dance leader and choreographer for the Csömör Furmicska Slovak Traditional Folk Dance Ensemble. With Furmicska, we qualified for the live broadcasts of Zem Spieva, the Slovak TV talent competition, in 2019 and progressed to the semifinals.

I am regularly invited to teach at various folk dance ensembles and camps. For nearly a decade, I have been a regular instructor for the Legacy European Folk Dance Group and the Lee Shing Pik School in Hong Kong, China. My children’s choreography has received international recognition at the Hong Kong International Dance Competition and the Schools Dance Festival. I have also conducted workshops in the USA, Canada, and Taiwan.

I am a featured dancer at events organized by the House of Traditions (Hagyományok Háza), such as the Kapolcs Arts Valley, Saturday evening dance houses and dance courses, and the Székely Festival. I am also a member of the Fehérnépek Dance Company.

In 2024, I served as a juror at the Méta Children’s Festival, and since 2023, I have been teaching dance at the Méta summer camps.