Children’s Instructor Archive

Barbara Szabó-Tóth moved from Budapest to Texas 14 years ago with her husband and two daughters. It has always been very important to her that her children mastered their mother tongue and be deeply connected to their Hungarian cultural heritage. Using her professional qualification as language teacher and linguist (with two masters degrees from Eötvös Loránd University – Faculty of Humanities, Budapest), she started Hungarian enrichment classes for children of all ages in the Austin area. She taught in this Hungarian kid’s club for many years with the main goal of helping families of Hungarian heritage to preserve the Hungarian language, culture, history and traditions. The basis of her educational methodology is to introduce knowledge by combining it with some funny, surprising and entertaining experiences. For example singing the well-known song “Süss fel nap!” (“Let the sun shine!”) while passing along ice cubes to classmates; or memorizing a Hungarian poem with the help of a sound-recording toy bird. She is excited to bring the same experience-oriented cultural and language enrichment activities to TiTiTábor.

Mónika Gyermán was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio where she is currently active in the Hungarian community. Her mother grew up active in the Hungarian scout movement where she was a folk dancer for many years and her father is a native of Vajdaság. Her senior year of High School she studied at the Pápai Református gimnázium és művészeti szakközépiskola under the dance instruction of Muller Zoltán and Anita. Mónika graduated from

Cleveland State University with her degree in Early Childhood Education, and is currently a Kindergarten teacher. She has worked with children of all ages in the public schools as well as in the Cleveland Hungarian Scout Troop 34.

Renáta Mohácsy-Kisfalusi has extensive experience organizing and directing folk programs for all ages. As a student, she was part of the organizing team for the Tatai Sokadalom and the Győrújbaráti Nemzetközi Néptáncfesztivál.  In 2015 she graduated from the Hungarian Dance Academy (Magyar Táncművészeti Egyetem) with an emphasis in folk dance and rehearsal direction.  Since then she has been teaching folk 

dance to kindergarteners in various schools in Hungary.  She specializes in providing multi-disciplinary programs to engage her students in learning not just folk dance, but also folk instruments and costumes, handicrafts, and customs. As director and choreographer of the Kis Csepel Táncegyüttes she has organized many learning extension opportunities including several foreign tours, study trips, team-building exercises and excursions to learn folk dancing traditions. Since 2015 she has been an instructor at camps in Hungary, such as the Hatetudnád Néptánctábor (Szeged), the Forrás Táncegyüttes youth camp, and the Libabőr Néptánctábor (Boldogkőváralja), teaching dance, singing, and costuming.

 Krisztina Ihászy, graduated from the Karoly Esterhazy Teacher Training College in 1995 and has done extensive work with children of all ages. She loves traditional Hungarian arts and crafts and folk tales. She has organized arts and crafts programs for camps and courses in gymnastics, swimming, and learning skills (Silva method). In Sarasota Florida, Krisztina worked with preschoolers for the local Hungarian school and directs folk dance and song groups. We are very happy to have her at Ti Ti Tábor this summer.

László (Laci) Tihanyi  is a native of Hungary and has resided in Oakland, California since September 2013.  Since his arrival, László has been the Assistant Artistic Director and Principal Dancer of Eszterlanc Hungarian Folk Dance Ensemble. His background as a amateur Hungarian folk dancer and dance teacher has led the group to invite him from Hungary for leadership and teaching roles in the United States. László received his Bachelor of Science in Hungarian folk dancing and folk dance coaching from the Dance Academy Budapest, Hungary.”

An experienced folk dance teacher, Flora Carlile-Kovács holds degrees in elementary education and ethnography as well as a folk dance teaching certificate. She taught the beginner group of one of Budapest’s leading amateur folk dance groups. For seven years she worked for the Hungarian Heritage House, the national institution founded by the Hungarian Secretary of State for the Ministry of Cultural Heritage with the the purpose of preserving and promoting Hungarian folk traditions. In this role Flora organized arts and crafts trainings,Hungarian heritage camps and events, and completed the Hungarian Heritage House’s folk craft training. Flora recently moved from Hungary to the Northwest and now lives in the Seattle area with her family and makes her living as a felt maker.