If I do not go on Thursday night, I get the shakes like someone who has not gotten his fix. Now, I used to hate dancing, well, I should say I was frightened of it. Until sweet Eszter called me and said, "I am going to take folk dancing lessons and need an available man, and you are it." I told her ok, but I have the long hair so I get to do the twirly bits and she has to do the manly foot-slapping-I-am-male-center-of-the-universe bits. She agreed, until about 3 lessons into it she abandoned me and went off with the girls.

By that time I was already hooked. The Hungarian dance house movement started in the late 1980's when Marta Sebestyen and several other Hungarian musicians went to Transylvania (somehow the Hungarian minority culture survived during the Ceucescu years) and relearned the dances and songs that had been lost in Hungary. Each village or set of villages has its own style of dancing, be it Moldvai, Gyimesi, Mezoszegi, Kalaltoszegi, Szekei, Magyarszovati...Every evening somewhere in Budapest, one can attend a tanchaz (dance house). Each dance house tends to specialize in dances from one particular region. The best thing about going to a tanchaz, from my perspective, is that there is very little of the snobbery one encounters at folk dances in the US. You learn the dances in big circles or lines, and the steps are the same in pairs. When you feel comfortable enough, you can grab a partner and go into the center. The live music is great, the alcohol is cheap, the women are pretty, and the ambiance is unbeatable. Going alone is not a problem - just ask anyone to dance, that is what they are there for. However, if you do not feel like getting jiggy with it, there is no pressure to dance and you can just hang out. In the summer, most dance houses are closed and they move to Translyvania to hold dance camps. The new season kicks off on 20 September 2008 at Petőfi Csarnok (500 huf for kids, 1000 huf for adults), starting at 5pm. Here is a list of the dance houses:

Monday
GREENFIELDS
every Monday 19.00-
Irish music and dancehouse
TEMI Fővárosi Művelődési Ház
1119 Budapest, Fehérvári út 47.
Tel.: 203-3868
www.fmhnet.hu

CSÍK Band Dance House
Once a month
Band: Csík János és barátai
Free entry
Tel.: 06-30-974-3498
csikzene@cibermail.hu

SUGALLÓ Dance House
moldvai dancehouse in Debrecen
minden hétfőn 20.00 órától
Debrecen, Domb u. 1
Sikk Musik Café courtyard,in the club if bad weather
karmento@freemail.hu, sugallo@tvn.hu
Tel.: 06-70-587-7097

MOLDVAI Dance House
FAKUTYA Band
on even-numbered Mondays, 20.00-
KAVALKÁD Band
odd-numbered Mondays, 20.00-
Free entry
ELTE Library Cellar Club
Múzeum krt. 4.
www.konyvtarklub.hu, www.fakutya.eu
Tel.: 06-30-976-8562; 061-319-9854/203
szekely.zoltan@csorsz.hu, www.csorsz.hu

BALKÁN CLUB at the Kossuth Club
every Monday 19:30-tól
Múzeum u. 7
www.balkanhangja.hu - www.kossuth-klub.hu
Info: Szeltner László: 30-961-4132
Free entry

Tuesday
MUZSIKÁS Dance House for Children
every Tuesday 17.00-
TEMI Fővárosi Művelődési Ház (cultural house)
1119 Budapest, Fehérvári út 47.
Tel.: 203-3868

FŐISKOLÁS Dance House
every second Tuesday 20.00-
Nyíregyházi Főiskola
4400 Nyíregyháza, Sóstói út 31/b
Info: Juhász Erika
Tel: 06-30-557-1692

ROZSDAMARÓ Dance House
once monthly
JATE-klub Szeged, Toldy u. 2.
Info: Nagy Gábor
Tel: 0620-337-0418

BERKÓ CLUB
every Tuesday 21.00-12:30
Potkulcs
Bp., VI. Csengery u. 65/B

ZSEBI BABA Dance House
Tuesday 17.00-17.30
small groups of children
late afternoon for nursery school ages
early afternoon 1-3 year-old children
cost: 1800 Ft/month
Csokonai Művelődési Központ
1153 Bp., Eötvös u. 64-66.
Tel.: 307-6191

Wednesday
MAGYAR Dance House at FONÓ Club
every Wednesday 20.00-
first Wednesday: Téka (+ Hungarian Hurdy Gurdy Band)
second Wednesday: Méta Band
third Wednesday: Bands from the countryside
last Wednesday: Transylvanian music club with magyarpalatkai band
Fonó Budai Zeneház; www.fono.hu
1117 Budapest, Sztregova u. 3.
Tel.: 206-5300

ZSEBI BABA Dance House
Wednesday 17.00-17.30
small groups of children
late afternoon for nursery school ages
early afternoon 1-3 year-old children
cost: 1800 Ft/month
Csokonai Művelődési Központ
1153 Bp., Eötvös u. 64-66.
Tel.: 307-6191

GUZSALYAS Dance House
every Wednesday 20.00-01.00
Gyimesi, moldvai, csángó dance and music
Marczibányi Téri Művelődési Központ (cultural house)
Budapest, 1022. Marczibányi tér 5/a.
Info: Szeleczki Petra
Tel.: 212-2820
marczi@marczi.hu

Thursday
Dance House at the GÖDÖR Club
every second Thursday 20.00-
Bivaly Band and  Csürrentő Band
Gödör - Budapest, Erzsébet tér

TÉKA CLUB
every Thursday 20.00-
1088 Budapest, Múzeum utca 7. - in the Kossuth Club building

Friday
Dance House on BEM RAKPART
every Friday
Budavári Művelődési Ház
1011 Budapest, Bem rkp. 6.
17:00- children's dance house, entry: 500,- Ft
19:00- adult dance house, entry: 750,- Ft
Bartók Band and Fondor Band

ZURGÓ DIÓ Children's Dance House
every odd-numbered Friday 18.00-19.00
Budapest XII. ker. Hegyvidék Önkormányzata Művelődési Központ
1124 Budapest, Csörsz u. 18.
Band: Zurgó
cost: children 300 Ft, chaperones free
Tel.: 06-30-976-8562; 061-319-9854/203
szekely.zoltan@csorsz.hu, szekelyz@index.hu, seculinescu@gmail.com, 

MOLDVAI CSÁNGÓ Dance House with the ZURGÓ Band
every odd-numbered Friday 20.00-24.00
Tel.: 06-30-976-8562; 061-319-9854/203
szekely.zoltan@csorsz.hu, szekelyz@index.hu, seculinescu@gmail.com,

OPÁNKE Band SZERB Dance House
every last Friday of the month 19.00-
Kalászi Tambura Band
Pomázi Művelődési Ház; Huszár u. 3., Pomaz
Tel.: 0626-325-163
megapom1@interware.hu

CSÜRRENTŐ Band Dance House
every even-numbered Friday 19.00-23.00
Fővárosi Művelődési Ház; XI. Fehérvári út 47.
Magyarfalu, Moldva music
entry 600,-Ft.
Tel.: 06-30-976-8562; 061-319-9854/203
szekely.zoltan@csorsz.hu, szekelyz@index.hu, seculinescu@gmail.com, 

GAJDOS Dance House
one Friday a month
Bartakovics Béla Művelődési Központ
Eger, Knézich K. u. 8.
lisztoczki@bb-mk.hu

Dance House with CSIDU Children's Dance House
every second Friday
Klebersberg Művelődési Központ
Budapest, II. Templom u. 2-10.
Tel.: 061-392-0860
Tel.: 06-30-438-0827

SOMNAKHUNO KHER - ARANYHÁZ
one Friday a month 19.00-
gipsy dance house
Fonó Budai Zeneház
1117 Budapest, Sztregova u. 3.
Tel.: 206-5300

CSÁNGÓ Dance House
every second Friday
Esztenás Band
18.00- children's dance house
entry: 200,-Ft
19.00- adult dance house
entry: 400,-Ft
Nyilas Misi Ifjúsági Ház
Miskolc, Kossuth utca 15.
Tel.: 0630-9737-654

TANAC Dance House
Serb, Croatian and Macedonian music and dance
every last Friday of the month 19.30-
VIZIN Band
free entry
Ifjúsági Ház
7622 Pécs, Nagy Lajos király útja 13.
Tel.: 72/330-211

APRÓK TÁNCA
every Friday 17.00-18.30-ig
Hagyományok Ház
entry: 400,- Ft
További információ: 225-6067
varkonyi.tekla@hagyomanyokhaza.hu

Saturday
ÖKRÖS CLUB
every Saturday 20.00-
Fonó Budai Zeneház
1117 Budapest, Sztregova u. 3.
Tel.: 206-5300; 203-1752

SÜLTÜ CSÁNGÓ Dance House
every second saturday 19.00-
TEMI Fővárosi Művelődési Ház
1119 Budapest, Fehérvári út. 47.
Tel.: 203-3868

KALAMAJKA Dance House
every Saturday
19.00-
Aranytíz Művelődési Központ
1051 Budapest, Arany J. u. 10.
Tel.: 354-3400; 311-2248

Dance House
one Saturday a month
Alba Regia Táncegyüttes
19.00-23.00
8000 Székesfehérvár, Malom u. 6.
Tel.: 0622-312-795

FLÓTÁS Dance House
every second Saturday of the month
19.00-
6050 Lajosmizse, Dózsa György út
(volt Pártház)
free entry
Tel: 20/544-7166
bela.drabant@gmail.com

Sunday
KŐKE Children's Dance House
every Sunday 10.00-12.00
Marczibányi Téri Művelődési Központ,
Budapest, 1022. Marczibányi tér 5/a.
tel.: 212-2820
marczi@marczi.hu

MEZŐ Children's Dance House
every Sunday
10.00-12.00
entry: 300,-Ft
Cserepesház
1144 Budapest, Vezér u. 28/b
Tel.: 363-2656

source: http://www.tanchaz.hu/start_en.html