In the summer of 1982, the first Barátság Hungarian Dance and Music Camp treated its participants to a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a week of intense and enjoyable study with dancers and musicians chosen from among Hungary’s finest professionals. The setting was in the Mendocino Woodlands, an old CCC camp nestled in the heart of the Jackson State Forest of majestic Redwoods near Mendocino, California. The natural beauty of the camp added magic to the program that brought campers and staff members back year after year.
The Camp had been founded in 1982 by two Americans, Howard Franklin and Mary Wallace (now Mary W. Tobak) with an American-Hungarian, Éva Kish, all of whom were intensely interested in learning traditional Hungarian folk dances and bringing the experience to the United States. Over the years the Camp featured such well-known artists as dancers/choreographers Zoltán Zsurafsky and Zsuzsa Vince, Zoltán Farkas and Ildikó Tóth, Szilárd Szabó and Ildikó Németh, and Zsolt Szilágyi and Marianna Újlaki. The bands included the Ökrös Ensemble, Méta, Téka, Zengő, Tilinkó and Somogy with guests including renowned violinist and ethnomusicologist, Béla Halmos, world famous cimbalom player, Kálmán Balogh, and such singers as Éva Molnár, András Berecz, and Csilla Freppán. As a result of this commitment to excellence, Barátság earned an honorable reputation for being among the finest camps in the United States.
Barátság grew from a cozy 45-member event to a camp of over 130 participants. Campers came from all over the United States and Canada, and even included participation from Switzerland and Holland. In 1982 there were but a handful of Hungarians involved in the camp. Over the years participation from the Hungarian community grew steadily, eventually attracting a large number of both American-Hungarians and Hungarian immigrants. The camp also grew over the years to accommodate families, offering what became a well-loved Children’s Program which gave the children of the camp the chance to not only explore the natural wonders of the Redwood forest with area experts, but also the opportunity to complete many projects in arts and crafts. The Children’s Program expanded its scope over the years to include daily classes in traditional Hungarian dance as well as Hungarian folk songs and folk games.
Barátság operated under the directorship of many individuals, owing much of its success to the efforts of Jeff O’Connor. Jeff was recognized for his considerable contributions to the preservation of Hungarian traditional culture when he was honored with the highly esteemed “On Behalf of The Hungarian Nation” award presented to him, officially thanking him for representing and supporting Hungarian culture in the United States through Barátság. The award included a inscribed silver medallion and a certificate of recognition, signed by Sándor Csoóri, Sr., well-known writer/poet and president of the Hungarian World Federation. Jeff was nominated for the award by Ferenc Tobak, who persistently collected the myriad of signatures required for the nomination to be accepted. Included in the nomination: Béla Halmos, Zoltán Zsurafszky and István Berán. Ferenc was very proud to present the award to Jeff at the 1999 Barátság Camp on behalf of the Hungarian people.
In the early 1990's, the camp came under the influence of Ferenc Tobak and his wife, Mary W. Tobak. Mary resumed her duties as a director for the 1993 camp and was joined by Ferenc who became a director in 1998. Through their efforts, camp pursued the goal of broadening it’s cultural offering to include traditional artists, musicians and dancers who had learned their art in a traditional, village setting, in addition to those who had gained their knowledge and expertise out of academic or personal interest. The Tobak’s worked actively to increase participation by beginners, especially young people, believing that the camp would continue and prosper long after the original founders and participants had moved on. They also worked very hard to increase participation by Hungarians, including those of Hungarian heritage but born in the United States, and those who had moved to the United States, either temporarily or permanently.
Barátság was recognized both nationally and in Hungary as one of the premier camps, not only among those interested in Hungarian dance and music, but also among those who offered traditional art forms of all nationalities. Barátság distinguished itself for its stated mission of preserving and disseminating traditional Hungarian culture in dance, music and folklore, and indeed served as a resource for ethnic Hungarians seeking to retain their traditional culture and for non-Hungarians learning about those traditions, by bringing professional and traditional artists to the United States to promote traditional music and dance.
For nearly 20 years Barátság provided quality instruction in a pleasant and enriched cross-cultural setting that increased knowledge, awareness and preservation of traditional Hungarian music, dance and culture.
For further information, please contact info@baratsag.com.