Andor Czompo Status:   Active Specialty:   Hungarian Range:   Hungarian	CLICK TO ENLARGE Photo by Dick Oakes
Andor Czompo, recognized as the leading authority on Hungarian folklore and dance in the western hemisphere, was born in Budapest, but raised in Turkeve, a major dance region of eastern Hungary, where he was considered one of the best dancers in the area. Because of this, he was later invited to join one of the professional Hungarian folk dance ensembles. He toured with this government-subsidized group through Germany and Czechoslovakia. Both his amateur and professional dance experience led to certification in the Institute of Folk Arts as a state-licensed professional folk-ethnic instructor, having passed a comprehensive government examination. Before leaving Hungary, Andor was a district Folk Art Supervisor in Borsod county, and worked on a folk art research project in the northern part of Hungary and in areas that were no longer a part of Hungary. Andor's sister, an accomplished dancer and teacher, and his mother remained behind. Upon coming to the United States in 1957, immigration officials told Andor that there was no future for a professional folk dancer in the country. He searched and found a job for two years working in a hospital near Atlantic City, New Jersey, owned by a Hungarian doctor. Speaking only Hungarian, he lived and spent all his time with other Hungarians, so he learned very little English. He made contact with a Hungarian dance group, the Kovach-Rabovsky Hungarian Ballet Bihari, and met Cecile Szakacs, who was active in the NEA (National Education Association). She helped Andor get started with his dancing again and encouraged him to go to the New York City area, where she found a job for him. In New York City, Andor found some friends with whom he had danced in Hungary. He organized the Hungarian Ethnic Dance Group of New York, which appeared on a CBS television program. He performed at the New York Town Hall, Washington Constitution Hall International Folk Dance Festival, and many other venues. Andor was asked to teach at the Herman's Maine Folk Dance Camp. From there, he went to the west coast to teach. Receiving more and more requests to do workshops, he finally had to choose between folk dance teaching and his regular job. Fortunately for folk dancers, he went against the immigration officials' advice and chose to make a living as a teacher of Hungarian folk dance. Andor worked with several exhibition dance groups, performed on television, and was a dancer-choreographer for the Kovach-Rabovsky Hungarian Ballet "Bihari." He has choreographed several dance suites for the Duquesne University Tamburitzans and the Brigham Young University Folk Dance Ensemble. Andor has taught master classes at major colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, and has served as a teaching staff member on most of the major folk dance camps, such as the San Diego Folk Dance Conference and the Santa Barbara Folk Dance Conference in California. Andor became Assistant Professor of Dance, State University of New York at Cortland and an American citizen. In the United States he has founded several ensembles and taught at major institutions and folk dance camps. It was at one such camp, the Maine Folk Dance Camp, that Andor met Ann Reed, whom he married a little over a year later. Ann, who has her MA Degree in dance, teaches folk, modern, jazz, and square dance, as well as dance composition. Andor and his wife Ann have a son, Stevie. Andor maintains tight control over his dance descriptions, music, and costumes. He considers it his responsibility to his Hungarian heritage because he feels it should be the first duty of any specialist to make certain his material is ethnically correct and to keep it that way. Andor is on the Board of Trustees of the National Folk Organization (NFO). Among Andor's publications, articles, and videos are Dance Fundamentals with Ann I. Czompo, 54 pp, AC Publications, Homer, New York, 1981. (A syllabus of teaching materials for the classroom.) Hungarian Dances. 1968. Hungarian Folk Dances. 1964. Hungarian Recreational Folk Dances. Video. Dances Andor has taught include Adjon az Isten, Bagi Forgós, Bagi Karikázó, Bagi Páros, Bagi Verbunk, Bagi Verbunk és Forgó, Békési Páros, Böjti Séta, Borozdánfutó, Cickom Csárdás, Cigánytánc, Cinege, Csanádi Leánytác, Csárdás, Csárdás Palocosan, Csendes és Forgós Csárdás, Csillagtánc, Debreceni Csárdás, Dobogós, Dudálás és Ugrós, Dudári Lakodalmas, Dunafalvi Leánytánc, Ecseri Csárdás, Erdédelyi Csárdás, Falushi Tánc, Fáridázó, Forgó, Forgatós, Galgamenti Karikázó, Gencsi Verbunk, Gyertás Tánc, Hétlépés, Hídas Játék, Homoródi Körtánc, Horă din Giubega, Horă din Oltenia, Huszár Verbunk és Csárdás, Kákicsi Dobogós, Kállói Kettös, Kalocsai Csárdás, Kalocsai Körtánc, Kalocsai Mars, Kalocsai Táncok, Kalotaszegi Csárdás, Kalotaszegi Lassú, Kanásztánc, Kapuvári Csárdás, Kapuvári Verbunk, Karikázó, Kevi Csárdás, Kiskanásztánc, Kiskun Verbunk, Kónyi Verbunk, Körcsárdás, Körtánc, Körösztöző Tápéi, Kún Verbunk, Lakodalmi Tánc, Legényes és Csárdás, Madocsai Táncok, Magyar Verbunk, Makkfalvi Táncok, Menet Tánc, Michael's Csárdás, Nagykonyi Verbunk, Négyesforgó, Oláhos, Pajtás Tánc, Palóc Csárdás I, Palóc Csárdás, Páloc Páros, Páloc Táncok, Palotás, Párválasztó, Pusztafalusi Sarkantyús és Csárdás, Régi Tánc, Részére egy Születélsnap, Sarkantyús, Sárkőzi Karikázó, Sárkőzi Tánc, Sej Haj Rozika, Sétálo, Somogyi Csárdás, Somogyi Karikázó, Somogyi Páros, Somogyi Tánc, Somogyi Táncok, Szatmári Csárdás, Szatmári Körcsárdás, Szatmári Táncok, Szatmári Verbunk és Csárdás, Szegény Csárdás, Székely Friss, Székely Verbunk, Széki Csárdás, Széki-Lassú, Széki Táncok, Szentistváni Csárdás, Szentistváni Karikázó, Szenyéri Páros, Szökkenós, Tápéi Darudöbögű, Terenyei Sergö, Tubarozsa Csárdás, Ugrós, Urai Körcsárdás, Uszódi Csárdás, and Ványai Csárdás.

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