Ferenc Novak ‘Tata’ in November 17  in 2021                                  MTI photo by Attila Kovacs
Born in Transylvania, Novak made his first choreography during his military service and founded in 1954 the Bihari dance ensemble. He later led the choir of dancers of Honved Ensemble, Hungary’s oldest art ensemble.

In the late 70s, he worked as a choreographer-director at Amsterdam’s Folklore Dance Theatre.
In his choreographies, Novak adapted to stage the traditions of Hungarian folk dance and folk music presenting their diversity.
He was the founder of the Tanchaz (dance-house) model of teaching folk dance and music to the public, listed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage.
Novak received the Kossuth Prize, the highest state award, in 1993 and the Republic of Hungary’s Order of Merit Middle Cross with the Star in 2005 and is a holder of several other prestigious awards.