Hungarian folk dances related to courtship, military recruitment, hunting, funerals, and marriage have been passed down for centuries in distinctive regional styles. Yet I was impressed, watching choreographer Gábor Mihályi’s Hungarian State Folk Ensemble perform these medieval heirlooms, at the elements of them that were recognizably contemporary: in the karikazo, a line of women in sequined red skirts kick in unison like Rockettes; long whipping braids and twirling embroidered dresses conjure Nijinsky’s Rite of Spring in the couples’ csarda; and in the verbunk, a fleet step dance resembling a military parade, men shake out impeccable renditions of Michael Jackson’s signature leg twist, swiveling their calves dazzlingly at the knee.
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Fri 11/22, 7:30 PM Auditorium Theatre 50 E. Congress 800-982-2787auditoriumtheatre.org $25-$68
