Zuzu Hudek Design - Projects

The Eastern Bloc catwalk concert explores the socialist-communist past of Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland in an international co-production. Featuring extravagant costumes and vocal music accompanied by electronics, the performance gives a glimpse into a full day of a fictional country's only national TV channel on a special national holiday, Unification Day.

Catwalk concerts are a new performing arts genre somewhere between theatre, choral concert and extreme fashion show. The performances are themed and feature a group of performers who present vibrant, innovative, storytelling costumes on a catwalk-like stage, while singing contemporary compositions written for the scenes. In this way, the music and the costumes themselves become the two main art forms that dominate the stage, creating a new arena for theatre.

The Eastern Bloc draws on aspects of the social, aesthetic and everyday life of the communist-socialist era in the various Visegrad countries. Together with the artists from each country, we have created a project that speaks of our common past, with reference to the societies of the present and even the future. The aim is not to evoke nostalgia for the socialist era, but to initiate a dialogue between countries and different generations - who have very different memories of this period - and to reflect on how our common heritage lives on in our present and raises relevant questions for our lives today.

Catwalk Concert Productions proposes a brand-new concept created in 2015 by costume designer Fruzsina Nagy and music composer and conductor Dóra Halas to define the collaborative performances that do not strictly fit into any of the consecrated categories of the performing arts. In Hungary, the artist duo collaborates with the experimental choir Soharóza. Soharóza improvises with the human voice, language and movement, exploring different areas from folk music to composed pieces, constantly searching for new forms and sounds.

Performers:

TV announcer, singer: Kata Pető

Members of Soharóza

& Soharóza Cloud Choir

Music: Dóra Halas, Ákos Lovász

Sound design: Ákos Lovász

Text: Sarolta Eörsi, Dora Kaplarova (CZ), Orsolya Matejčuk (SK), Anna Veress, Agnieszka Wolny-Hamkalo (PL)

Dramaturge: Anna Veress

Costume designers: Zuzu Hudek (SK), Dorota Kuźniarska (PL), Fruzsina Nagy, Simona Rybakova (CZ)

Set designer: Juli Balázs

Choreography: Joanna Jaworska-Maciaszek (PL)

Media design: Máté Bredán, Šimon Caban (CZ)