Sándor Timár was born in Szolnok in 1930
During his high school years, he became involved in the burgeoning folk dance movement through scouting. Later, before his final exams, he and his friends went on field trips around Karcag to study local dance traditions.
Early 1950s
After an unsuccessful college admission, he joined the SZOT Art Ensemble led by István Molnár, where Molnár's training significantly improved his skills.
1955
He left the SZOT Art Ensemble. In 1958, a few years later, he founded the Bartók Dance Company, marking a significant step in his career.
The ensemble's repertoire drew on the research of folk dance scholars, especially György Martin and Ernő Pesovár. His choreographies included the Sóvidéki táncok (Salt Country Dances), Alföldi ugrós és csárdás (South Plain Jump and Czardas), Öt legény tánca (Dance of the Five Lads), Szlavóniai karikázó (Slavonian Round Dance), and Szatmári táncok (Satmar Dances). Several later joined the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble's repertoire.
1970
He graduated from the Academy of Theatre and Film Arts with a degree in choreography, where he studied alongside Katalin Györgyfalvay.
In 1972
He was appointed head of the Folk Dance Department of the Hungarian Academy of Dance.
During this period, the work of the Bartók Dance Ensemble was closely connected with the authentic folk music activity of the Sebő Ensemble. As a result of this collaboration, the Dance House Movement was launched, initially formed by four amateur ensembles: Bartók, Bihari, Vadrózsák, and Vasas. Consequently, the movement quickly became a national phenomenon.
The interaction between the dance house and the stage was decisive during Timár's "Bartók Ensemble" period: authentic dance material emerged simultaneously as both a community dance and a stage genre.
Artistic credo
For Sándor Timár, folk dance was a living, changing system. It was closely related to music and to the skills and individual styles of the dancers. During his long research, he sought to reveal the internal laws of Hungarian folk dance. He aimed to pass these on to his students.
One important insight of folk dance research was formulated by György Martin: A significant part of Hungarian folk dances consists of solo or pair dances with an improvisational structure. To understand them, a detailed analysis of the movements and the motifs is required.
According to Martin, the motif is the smallest formal unit of dance, comparable to the word in spoken languages. Familiarity with the motifs enables the dancers to improvise within the framework of tradition.
His main goal was to maintain the link between stage folk dance and community dance, and to ensure the dance's "authentic" values were not lost during staging.
Separation of the choir from the ensemble
The Hungarian State Folk Ensemble's repertoire combined dance, music, and singing, a unity Zoltán Kodály considered vital.
However, the system carried increasing tension. As Miklós Rábai's works were kept unchanged, the coexistence of the three genres often proved difficult. After prolonged professional disputes, Sándor Timár separated the choir from the ensemble in 1985.
The decision raised serious objections. The change was seen by many as a violation of tradition, and the debates were not confined to professional circles but also played out in the public eye through newspaper articles, open letters, and public opinion.
In 1983, the ensemble's management submitted a five-year plan that several composers and artists, including Emil Petrovich, Sándor Szokolay, and Géza Körtvélyes, criticised for overshadowing musical and choral traditions.
The controversy showed that Timár was in a difficult situation: he had to preserve traditions while also renewing the ensemble.
