Zoltán Batyu Farkas studied folk dance at the Hungarian State Ballet Institute between 1971 and 1975 and later on earned a teaching degree in cultural education. His pedagogical activities are wide in scope: he has led dance houses and taught numerous courses in Hungarian folk dance in the USA. He has served as an instructor with numerous foreign ensembles, including in Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Canada, Taiwan and many European countries. Since 1975, he has taught folk dance methodology and dance technique; in Hungary, this takes place at universities, clubs, and with both professional and amateur dance ensembles. Between 1975 and 1984, he performed as a soloist with the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble while also working as an assistant with the dance corps. Later on, he took on assignments as a dancer and artistic director (or co-director) with the Kodály Chamber Dance Ensemble, the Kecskemét Folk Dance Ensemble and the Bartina Folk Dance Group. Since 1990, he has created numerous solo choreographies for dance compositions with the Muzsikás Folk Ensemble using the dance “dialects” of the Carpathian Basin. His work has been recognised with numerous distinctions, including the Award of Excellence in Choreography (1980, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1992), the Award for Hungarian Art (2001), the Harangozó Award (2006) and the Béla Bartók Award (2008). He was named a “Young Master of Folk Art” in 1978, an Artist of Merit in 2014 and an Artist of Excellence in 2021.