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"Where is my son? Get him up here - he'll show you how it's done!" And up he comes, Szilvási junior, to give us a display of the gypsy men's dance. Skipping, jumping, stamping, clapping, thigh-slapping, calf-slapping - it's so frenetic that his legs become a denim blur, but he's still full of grace and poise. But if your dad is the leader of the Szilvási Gipsy Folk Band, you'd have plenty of time to practice your dancing.

I climbed the long stairwell to Corvintető on Monday, certain I was going to enjoy the set. It was the first gig of their residency and it was pretty busy. At first people were shy to come into the centre of the dancefloor, and clung to the edges, bobbing up and down to the music. Every so often a gaggle of Roma girls, all dolled up in their bling and high heels, would come and do a fast jiggly dance, clicking their fingers with their arms high in the air.

Five songs into the band's set, and all the wallflowers were boogying unselfconsciously in the middle of the dancefloor. The music requires little description - it's dependable, well-played good-time gyspy music. Have a listen on their website, or better still, come and hear them live. They often get guest bands in too, some from as far away as Italy. What really intrigued me about this gig though was the audience.

This is real Roma party, with the band bringing folks up onto the stage to show off their gypsy dancing skills. Szilvási István, the bandleader, kept shouting things out over the mic, like, "A cigányság nem diszkriminativ!" and other messages about social unity. The dancefloor filled up with people, and became a sweaty mass of Roma, Hungarians and the odd foreigner, all having fun dancing together. I know it's often said that music can break down social boundaries, but on that rainy Monday it seemed truer than ever.


Lucy F.