Hungarian Folk Dance Movement: Nationalism or Opportunity for Reconciliation Between Nations? Gergely Szilvay Paper for the lecture at the 22nd Annual World Convention of the Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN), New York City, Columbia University, 4-6th May 2017. Academic affiliation: Péteƌ PázŵáŶLJ CatholiĐ UŶiǀeƌsitLJ, DoĐtoƌal SĐhool iŶ PolitiĐal TheoƌLJ, Budapest. I’ŵ goiŶg to represent and analyze how – despite its ethnosymbolism and its nationalistic tendencies – how Hungarian Dancehouse Movement can encourage regionalism, localism and the understanding of neighbouring ethnicities. I start with a brief history of the Hungarian Folk Dance (properly: Dancehouse) Movement and regional differences of Hungarian folk dances, after that I deŵoŶstƌate the ŵoǀeŵeŶts connections with the so Đalled „Népi” (peasantist) Movement of the 20th century, which was an effort by intellectuals and writers to thematize the hard life of the village and the poor peasant. Finally I analyze the alleged nationalism of the Dancehouse Movement and how it can build personal interethnic relationships. The Dancehouse Movement 1 It started in 1972, when four folk ensembles hold a party of free dancing at Budapest at 6th May, which was repeated at 10th June and on 23rd October 1 The only one comprehensive book in English about the Hungarian dancehouse movement with its aŶteĐedeŶts iŶĐludiŶg the ǁoƌld ŵusiĐ sĐeŶe, ďut ǁithout sĐholaƌlLJ Đlaiŵ, is: Béla Sziláƌd JáǀoƌszkLJ: The Story of Hungarian Folk. Kossuth, Budapest, 2015. See also: Balázs Balogh – ÁgŶes Füleŵile: Cultural Alternatives, Youth and Grassroots Resistance in Socialist Hungary — The folk Dance and Music Revival. Hungarian Studies 2008. Vol. 22. Nos. 1-2. 43-ϲϮ.; Béla Halŵos: The TáŶĐház MoǀeŵeŶt. Hungarian Heritage, Budapest, 2000 Volume 1 Numbers 1-2 Spring/Autumn