1:00pm • No Cover
SZIKRA
Celebrate America 250 with SZIKRA, where the raw, driving sounds of Hungarian Csángó folk music collide with American blues, roots, and folk traditions. Ancient melodies, fiery rhythms, flute, koboz, jaw harp, guitar, percussion, and voice come together in a one-of-a-kind musical fusion.From the villages of Eastern Europe to an American roadhouse stage, SZIKRA brings the spark to Hank Dietle’s!
Genre: Traditional Hungarian Csángó folk music with medieval roots.
Szikra plays traditional Hungarian dance music of the Csángó people from Moldva and Gyimes in Romania. The energetic, ancient pulse of this music ignites dancers’ fervor and inspired the band name Szikra, which means “spark” in Hungarian.
Csángó dances are lively and easy to follow, with both line and couple dances—many driven by syncopated rhythms.
Emese leads Szikra on woodwinds: the sültü (short flute) and kaval (long flute). Chris plays doromb (mouth harp), Val plucks the koboz (lute), and Joseph provides percussion on dob (drum) and ütőgardon (hit cello).
Szikra often performs with additional musicians, adding instruments such as hegedű (fiddle) and cimbalom (hammer dulcimer) to the rich, dance-ready sound.
Formed in 2014, Szikra regularly performs at cultural events and Hungarian dance-house parties (táncház-es) throughout Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Michigan, New Jersey, and New York. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook.