By trade an accountant and a business manager, Kenneth Tse’s life took a different turn when he saw a performance of Hungarian dance in his Hong Kong homeland some 20 years ago. “I fell in love with it,” laughs Tse, looking back. “First of all, it was the lovely melodies, the music. The strong rhythms, too. Then I saw how the dancers moved. It was very striking, not so tricky and complex as, say, Georgian dance.”
By chance, the Hungarian company were visiting just as Hong Kong was being handed over from British rule – but its citizens had been brought up to be open to foreign cultural influences. “For me,” says Tse, “Hungarian dance was something completely new and refreshing”.
So taken was Tse with the genre that he came over to Hungary to take part in dance courses and camps. Pretty soon, he had organised his free time back in Hong Kong around perfecting the art. “Unlike Georgian dance, or ballet, you don’t have to be four or five years old to start. I was in my early 20s and I could still pick things up.”
Not only that, but he could teach others too. Still making occasional visits to Hungary, Tse became an instructor, also giving lessons to students in Taiwan, where he has another base. Making links with Kyoto University in Japan, with its long tradition in European folk dance, Tse set up a network of pupils. The Knack Cordial Folk Group was born. Tse even found a local tailor who could create costumes in traditional Hungarian style.
In 2016, he arranged for the Hungarian FolkEmbassy to come over to Hong Kong and give a joint concert with his own troupe, a sell-out show in front of 1,400 people.
And now the Knack Cordial Folk Group are performing in Budapest – but their Hong Kong instructor had one important task to undertake before creating this month’s show. So accomplished has Tse become in traditional Magyar folk dance, and so influential, that he was recently awarded the prestigious Hungarian Gold Cross of Merit. Coming to Budapest to pick up his decoration, Tse made sure to pay a visit to his mentor, Sándor Timár, now in his late eighties.
“It is such an honour for me to receive this award but it also reflects the hard work of my students, all amateurs, who do this purely for the love of Hungarian dance. It was also very special to pay my respects to Timár, for all the inspiration he gave to me.”
Tonight’s show in the Várkert Bazaar is free of charge. It features the Knack Cordial Folk Group and the Hungarian FolkEmbassy, again performing together, as 18 couples showcase the traditional dance of Hungary, Ukraine and Bulgaria. The companies then perform at the Művészetek Völgye in Kapolcs, near Veszprém, on July 28th, before heading off to Transylvania.
“Napkelettől Napnyugatig...” Hungarian folk dance show
Thursday, July 26th, 7pm Várkert Bazaar, Öntőház udvara District I, Ybl Miklós tér 2-6
Admission: Free More information
