By Panni De Cheke Qualls
Successful folk dance ensemble leaders are a very rare breed. Building and sustaining a group requires perseverance and grit – something Borozda’s Noémi Toka Szűcs knows only too well. After 14+ years in leadership and 23 years in the United States, she recently made the move back to Hungary.
To many, this does not come as a surprise. Once she had a family of her own with folk dance educator and Örökös Aranysarkantyús dancer János Szűcs, all roads pointed to Hungary. Now settled, Toka Szűcs reflects on her experience in the North American folk dance community, and the lessons learned as an ensemble leader.
A native of Miskolc, Toka Szűcs started folk dancing in the Szinavölgyi Néptáncegyüttes when she was nine years old. By age 18, she was in the legendary Budapest Néptáncegyüttes. After a dance hiatus (due to an injury), she came to the U.S. in 2001 and joined the Tisza Ensemble of Maryland.
“Cathy Lamont and Rudy Petke took me under their wing, helped me get my strength back. They became my American mom and dad,” recalls Toka Szűcs. “It was through their encouragement that I created my first choreography, a somogyi üveges, and you might say the rest is history.”
Ten years later, Toka Szűcs moved to Chicago. Péter Bartha, one of the local Hungarians, asked her and Áron Trufan to teach Hungarian folk dancing. She accepted this challenge, and regular practices were held at a local church. The time was ripe – interest in dancing was high, and the seeds of Borozda were planted.
“Fortunately, I didn’t start it alone. Since Áron was there, things were easier, but it took some time to learn to teach. To break down each step or figure into smaller pieces and to explain what I am/we are doing, where the emphasis is, the logic (if any) behind it, the feeling behind the move and how to get there,” remembers Toka Szűcs.
As the ensemble started to materialize, music, costumes and choreographies needed attention. By 2014, Toka was doing all of this alone. As one of the few female ensemble leaders in North America, this was an opportunity that also came with challenges.
“Teaching became difficult without a leading man after 2016. Tibor Horváth [now leading Seattle’s Forgatós Ensemble] helped me out a great deal, and we were able to continue to support the men in our group. To this day, he comes to help us out once a year for our spring gala,” says Toka Szűcs.
Toka Szűcs also faced the typical issues most ensembles face – adequate dance space, recruitment of dancers, and new choreographies – with very limited resources. She also had to manage operational logistics, the complexities of writing grants, doing annual taxes, and organizing performances. Where she could, Toka Szűcs sought advice and insights from others in the biz – Inci Deffend, Lamont and others.
“In terms of costumes, I had to get creative. We used what we inherited from previous Chicago dance groups, purchased a few sets from the Csárdás Ensemble, and ordered some from Hungary or Slovakia – often working closely with the costume-makers to pick out fabrics and designs depending on who will wear what costume. We have all been through that,” says Toka Szűcs.
Having developed good relationships with different bands in Hungary, most of Borozda’s music was custom-made by Tükrös Band, Gázsa, Üsztürű, Heveder, Zagyva, Csík, and Bakator.
Like other ensembles, there was also an intangible aspect to running Borozda. And that was, making sure the group continued to move forward – despite the different interests that held the group together.
“Everyone joins an ensemble for their own reasons. Some for fun, others came to learn and develop, and others still because it provides community, and an opportunity for Hungarian social interaction. There are probably other reasons, too. As an ensemble leader, this makes things very interesting – to balance the material we learn with what we can actually achieve. Or whether we accept a performance or not, who is dancing with whom, and to motivate people at all abilities,” recalls Toka Szűcs. “In Hungary teachers have no problem telling anyone how well or poorly they are dancing, who they will dance with, and where they stand in a choreography. Here we have a different approach.”
Over the years, Toka Szűcs began to realize that a well-functioning group cannot be run entirely as a democracy. The leader has to take some charge of certain aspects of the ensemble’s decisions with good intentions.
“This person has long and short-term obligations to the group – to act responsibly, knowledgeably, thoughtfully, and in good faith. And to provide consistent motivation, that’s critical. In the end, the group benefits even if it is not entirely evident at the time. There has to be someone who is the spirit of the group – who is willing to balance a lot of different factors for everyone’s benefit. And be responsible if things don’t go well. Over the years, I found that being in this role has its moments. Most of the time, I felt I read the tea leaves correctly, and other times I had to make a decision – and I couldn’t make everyone happy. I had to be all right with that, too. It was a tough balancing act,” says Toka Szűcs.
In overseas ensembles, these leadership challenges are felt even more deeply. Everyone is a volunteer, resources are slim. People come, people go – a core group remains. Recruitment remains a significant issue – for some ensembles even an existential one. Borozda tried a lot of different approaches – including starting a youth ensemble. Then COVID hit and those plans had to be scrapped. They also experimented with the timing of rehearsals – because that always poses a challenge for one demographic or another.
“After every big performance there were numerous people expressing interest joining us, but those connections rarely ever materialized. Most of the time those who were looking for folk dance opportunities would find us and join directly,” says Toka Szűcs.
Now that Toka Szűcs is in Hungary, family is the priority. She and Szűcs have a three-year-old daughter. While leading Borozda, Toka Szűcs was a CVOR (cardiovascular operating room) nurse for over a decade. It meant leaving the house at 5 AM, and being in surgery all day. With a young child her priorities changed, and the chance to reimagine her career in Hungary became a welcome opportunity.
Is a dance ensemble in Toka Szűcs’s future? Never say never. She and Szűcs, who also assisted Borozda during his five years in the States as a KCSP then as a teacher, have tremendous talent to offer the folklife community. What was true in Chicago, may happen again.
“There were lots of moments throughout Borozda’s journey that we did something remarkable – coming from almost nothing, with only a few people who had some dance experience, to a group that performs semi-regularly, has a fair amount of costumes, and a strong core which continues the work without me/without us (János and I),” reflects Toka Szűcs.
“The group started as a club where we were just trying to teach some basic folk dancing. But once Chicago’s Hungarian community started to ask for performances I shared my hopes with the group – we have to be the best version of ourselves on the dance floor. There were four reasons: (1) we are showcasing our knowledge, (2) we are showcasing our culture, (3) whatever we do it will probably be posted on social media, and (4) was personal for me, I wanted to be proud of us. Of the group and the work we do on a weekly basis,” says Toka Szűcs. “And in the end, I was also transformed by the Borozda experience – the teaching, the performances, people, the music, and the dancing. Sure, I made my share of mistakes, but people stuck with me. I am grateful for all of it as I now close the book on a huge chapter of my life.”
