Táncház

Táncház (pronounced 'taːnʦhaːz, approx. "tants-hoz") is an aspect of the Hungarian roots revival of traditional culture which began in the early 1970s, and remains an active part of the national culture across the country, especially in cities like Budapest. Táncház draws on traditions from across Hungary, especially music and dance, as well as Transylvania; the term táncház (dance house) is derived from a Transylvanian tradition of holding dances at individual's homes.

The táncház traditions were recreated as authentically as possible, a process aided by fairly detailed research on Hungarian culture. The movement is composed of numerous informal groups who are only closely affiliated with each other. Since the 1970s, non-ethnic Hungarians living in Hungary have had their folk traditions treated the same as their Hungarian neighbors. In addition, ethnic Hungarians outside of Hungary, such as those in Transylvania (a region of Romania), Slovakia and the Szeret valley of Moldavia, are also celebrated by the táncház movement.

Within the United States, Hungarian dance groups such as Karpatok (Los Angeles), Eletfa (New York/New Jersey), and Csardas (Cleveland) perform on stage bringing the feel of the Tanchaz to the general audiences.