For some, the history of a city is etched into its skyline or forged in its steel mills. But for John “Jack” Penkrot, a mainstay of the local folk dance community, the true story of Pittsburgh is measured in the intricate patterns of an English Country dance and the vibrant, stamping footwork of a Hungarian folk performance.
Penkrot’s journey through the world of movement began not with a lifelong ambition, but with a simple invitation in 1966. While a student at the University of Pittsburgh, a woman he was dating suggested they visit the University’s Thursday Night Folk Dance Club. The sessions were held at the University Lutheran Center on Forbes Avenue, right across from the Carnegie Museum. “I didn’t really get interested in dancing until I started the University of Pittsburgh in 1966,” Penkrot recalls of those early days.
From Student to Steward
What began as a social outing quickly evolved into a deep-seated vocation that spanned decades and distances. By 1972, Penkrot had moved from the back of the room to the front, leading the group, doing much of the teaching, and managing the logistical details. He remembers “bringing the records and record player, and having the key to open and close the Lutheran Center.” Even his graduate research in the early 1970s couldn’t distance him from the craft; while out in New Mexico between 1972 and 1974, he found himself “folk dancing in Los Alamos and… teaching a folk dancing class in Santa Fe.”
Upon his return to Pennsylvania, a friend from the Thursday night group suggested Penkrot branch out into the Pittsburgh Chapter of the English Country Dance and Song Society (CDSSP). He joined around 1970 and remains an active member and board member to this day. He notes that “back in the ‘70s, the CDSSP was primarily a performance group.” These dancers were a dedicated lot, performing for the Pittsburgh Folk Festival and church groups throughout the area.
Penkrot remembers rehearsing on the third floor of teacher Dorie Bund’s music store on Penn Avenue, which also served as her living quarters. Among the dozen or so regular dancers were figures who would go on to achieve great acclaim, such as Jacquiline Schwab, “well-known as a pianist, providing music for PBS series like the Civil War,” and Ron Buchanan, who is now a “well-known square dance and contra dance caller.”
A Hub of Cultural Exchange and Hungarian Heritage
The Pittsburgh dance scene of the 1970s was a thriving, interconnected ecosystem. The Tuesday Night International Folk Dance Group, which met at the YWCA building on Wood Street, was a massive draw. “This was a large group with as many as 60 people coming on a Tuesday night,” Penkrot notes. This group served as a melting pot for the city’s various cultures, as many attendees were also leaders of local ethnic dance groups.
It was through this community that Penkrot met Ed Stone, the leader of a Hungarian Folk Dance group formed specifically for the local Folk Festival. The group, consisting of about 20 dancers, practiced in a church near Homeville. To sharpen their skills, they brought in master teachers for weekend workshops. Legendary instructors like Andor and Ann Czompo were brought in to teach Hungarian dances, and their influence remains visible in Penkrot’s archives. He still meticulously preserves the artifacts of these lessons, stating, “I still have some of the packets of mimeographed sheets with dance instructions from the dance weekends,” as well as instruction booklets produced by the Czompos.
The Spectacle of the Civic Arena
The crowning jewel of Penkrot’s dance calendar was the annual Pittsburgh Folk Festival. Sponsored at the time by Robert Morris University and held at the Civic Arena, it was a grand spectacle featuring roughly 24 different ethnic groups. Each group contributed a food booth, a cultural display, and a dance performance.
Penkrot was deeply involved, dancing in the festival for the Hungarian, English, and Israeli groups over various years. The highlight of the event was always the dramatic and patriotic conclusion of the evening. “One unique feature of the Civic Arena was that its dome-shaped roof could slide open,” Penkrot explains. As the night ended, the roof would retract to reveal the sky, and the audience would join the performers in a massive, emotional chorus of “This land is your land, this land is my land…”
Carrying the Torch Forward
As the decades passed, the landscape of the festival scene began to change. “As the leaders of the various ethnic groups aged, the Folk Festival shrank in size and prominence,” Penkrot observes. He notes that the last time he saw a festival advertised, the dance groups appeared to be mostly for children.
Yet, for Jack Penkrot, the music has not stopped. He remains a steward of the tradition, currently serving on the board of the CDSSP and acting as a frequent caller at the dances. He also belongs to the 18th Century Dance group, where he occasionally calls dances and performs English Country traditions. During the winter months, he steps in to host the Tuesday night dances at the Bulgarian-Macedonian Educational and Cultural Center (BMNECC), where a dedicated group still gathers. Though the grand roof of the Arena may no longer slide open for them, the steps and stories of Pittsburgh’s diverse heritage—from the English countryside to the Hungarian plains—are kept alive by Penkrot’s enduring passion for the dance.
