# Táncdalfesztivál

Táncdalfesztivál (literally Festival of dance music) was a series of Hungarian pop music competitions and exhibition shows, airing on the National Television from 1966 to 1994.

## Significance

In a country with only one television channel, Táncdalfesztivál was the premier chance for young musicians to showcase their skills and become well known in the Hungary of the '60s. It was the starting point in the career of the era's most popular performers, like Kati Kovács, Pál Szécsi, Klári Katona or Zsuzsa Koncz.
As television sets were just becoming widespread, it also meant a good opportunity to musicians already popular from the radio, but never seen performing live. Performers who gained fame through the show include Éva Mikes, Mária Toldy, Katalin Sárosi, János Koós, and László Aradszky. According to János Bródy, the Táncdalfesztivál series played a key role in the renewal of the contemporary Hungarian music scene, which spread beyond national borders.
The TV show had similar, equally successful radio counterparts called Tessék Választani and Made in Hungary.

## Chronology

The classical Táncdalfesztivál was held annually between 1966 and 1972, followed by irregularly held competitions with varying names and scopes until 1994.
| Year | Title | Format | Date | Venue(s) | No. of songs | No. of songs in the final | Host(s) |
| The "classic" Táncdalfesztivál era (1966–1972) ||||||||
| 1966 | Táncdalfesztivál ’66 | 3 semifinals + final | 7 July – 20 August 1966 | Madách Theatre (semifinals) Erkel Theatre (final) | 60 | 12 | Marika Takács, Judit Lénárd, Eszter Tamási, József Varga |
| 1967 | Táncdalfesztivál ’67 | 3 semifinals + final | 20 July – 20 August 1967 | Madách Theatre (semifinals) Erkel Theatre (final) | 60 | 15 | Marika Takács, József Varga |
| 1968 | Táncdalfesztivál ’68 | 3 semifinals + final | 20 July – 18 August 1968 | Madách Theatre (semifinals) Erkel Theatre (final) | 60 | 18 | Klári Poór |
| 1969 | Táncdalfesztivál ’69 | 3 semifinals + final | 19 July – 16 August 1969 | Erkel Theatre | 60 | 18 | Klári Poór |
| Táncdalfesztivál was not held in 1970 ||||||||
| 1971 | Táncdalfesztivál ’71 | 3 semifinals + final | 24 July – 24 August 1971 | Madách Theatre (semifinals) Erkel Theatre (final) | 46 | 16 | Júlia Kudlik, Ferenc Ősz |
| 1972 | Táncdalfesztivál ’72 | 3 semifinals + final | 22 July – 18 August 1972 | Attila József Theatre (semifinals) Erkel Theatre (final) | 48 | 12 | Júlia Kudlik, Ferenc Ősz |
| Revived songfestivals (1977; 1981) ||||||||
| 1977 | Metronóm ’77 | 3 semifinals + final | 9 – 30 July 1977 | Magyar Theatre | 42 | 15 | Imre Antal |
| 1981 | Tánc- és popdalfesztivál | 3 semifinals + final | 1 – 21 August 1981 | Magyar Theatre | 36 | 15 | Júlia Kudlik |
| Interpop Festivals (1986; 1988) ||||||||
| 1986 | Interpop Fesztivál ’86 | 2 semifinals + final | 15 – 19 July 1986 | Siófok Open Air Stage | | | Katalin Bogyay |
| 1988 | Interpop Fesztivál ’88 | 2 semifinals + final | 19 – 23 July 1988 | Siófok Open Air Stage | | | Brigitta Palcsó, Péter Geszti |
| The songfestivals of the ’90s (1991–1994) ||||||||
| 1991 | Popfesztivál ’91 | 2 semifinals + final | 9 – 23 February 1991 | Fővárosi Művelődési Ház (semifinals) Honvéd Cultural Center (final) | | | István Vágó |
| 1992 | Egri Táncdalfesztivál | 3 semifinals + final | 14 August – 5 September 1992 | Géza Gárdonyi Theatre (Eger) | 45 | 16 | Gábor Mohai, Brigitta Palcsó |
| 1993 | Pop-Rock Fesztivál ’93 | 3 semifinals + final | 6 February – 6 March 1993 | Stage 4 of Magyar Televízió (semifinals) Budapest Congress Center (final) | | | András Bárdos, Kinga Czuczor |
| 1993 | II. Egri Táncdalfesztivál | 3 semifinals + final | 7 – 28 August 1993 | The courtyard of Eszterházy Károly Catholic University (Eger) | 42 | 15 | Gábor Mohai, Marcellina, Kata Csongrádi |
| 1994 | Fesztivál ’94 | 3 semifinals + final | 15 January – 5 February 1994 | Stage 4 of Magyar Televízió | 45 | 15 | Dorottya Geszler |

## Sources

* István Zoltán Kiss. Magyar könnyűzenei lexikon 1962-től. Budapest: ZAJ-ZONe, 1998. ISBN 9789630360562
* Dénes Gáncs, János Zoltán. A dallam diadala – A táncdalfesztiválok története. Budapest: La Ventana, 2004. ISBN 9789638646552