Nora Čechmánková
Lúčnica and SĽUK (Slovak Folk Art Collective) are the two major folklore dance ensembles in Slovakia history of which started some 60+ years ago. Costume designer Šarlota Kišová (1920 – 2009) is closely connected with the development of folk costumes for the above ensembles.
Initially – around 1950s – SĽUK preferred buying original folk costumes in the places they were originally made. However, Lúčnica concentrated on making new folk costumes by copying originals. Soon after, both ensembles initiated the cooperation with the ÚĽUV and ordered folk costumes from there. When making folk costumes for folklore dancing groups, priority was the purpose and not decorative appearance of the costume. „Folk costume is predominantly made to wear for dancing, so it is important that it is easy to dance in it,“ says costume designer Peter Čanecký.
Nowadays, Lúčnica comes with two types of performances: a classic dance with folk costume reconstructions and an artistic dance using stylised folk costumes. Designing stylised folk costumes, it has been always important to preserve specifics of a respective region. SĽUK´s repertoire includes all-in-one shows or modern dancing theatre performances. All-in-one performances use existing folk costumes, mainly made by Šarlota Kišová and are combined with new stylised costumes. Type of dance was important in past when new shows were being prepared. Now, it is a theme of a show which is important. And, harmony between choreography and appearance of costumes and stage is important now. A dance performance representing a specific region needs dancers wearing folk costumes from the specific region.