CONCEPT, DIRECTION:
Veronika Poldauf Riedlbauchová
PERFORMERS:
Andrea Vykysalá, Karolína Křížková, Eva Stará
SET DESIGN:
Marianna Stránská
MUSIC:
Jan Čtvrtník
PRODUCENT:
Holektiv - Andrea Vykysalá
CO-PRODUCER:
CIRQUEON- Centrum pro nový cirkus, Tanec Praha
WITH THE SUPPORT OF:
Ministerstvo kultury ČR, Magistrát hlavního města Prahy
PREMIERE:
6.6.2026 CirkUff, 7.6.2026 Tanec Praha
DURATION:
35 min
In 2026, Holektiv celebrates its tenth anniversary, and the trio Andrea Vykysalá, Karolína Křížková and Eva Stará reunites in its original line-up after years of pursuing separate creative paths. The company, with international successes ranging from RoundAbout Europe to festivals in Japan, Italy and Armenia, has chosen a challenge for this celebration: to create an outdoor production for the international TANEC PRAHA festival that speaks to audiences across generations. Under the direction of Veronika Poldauf Riedlbauchová, they present Laundresses - a playful contemporary circus performance about everyday work and its ritual meaning of cleansing.
Welcome to a laundry filled with wet clothes, an atmosphere of chaos and steam, where absolutely everything is washed. Shirts, socks, secrets and old sins. The laundresses have their hands full - water splashes, fabric is scrubbed, and some stains, on clothes and on souls alike, simply refuse to come out. This laundry is a place where life itself is washed through, emotions are wrung out, and memories are hung up to dry.
Holektiv has a distinctive artistic signature - feminine energy, grotesque playfulness and humour intertwine with dance, acrobatics and elements of contemporary circus. The trio of creators consciously embraces challenge instead of relying on the certainty of established formulas. In collaboration with director Veronika Poldauf Riedlbauchová, a new creative space opens up for the company.
Laundresses is an invitation to a relaxed intergenerational experience, where humour meets the poetics of everyday life and ordinary work gains an unexpected resonance.
Holektiv has operated as an artistic collective since 2016. It was founded by Andrea Vykysalá, Eva Stará and Karolína Křížková, who bring together physical theatre, dance and contemporary circus. The company explores current social themes, presenting them in an accessible form marked by distinctive poetics and playful irony. As the only Czech company selected for the prestigious European programme RoundAbout Europe, Holektiv has toured its works at festivals in Armenia, Bulgaria, Greece, Germany, Italy, Poland, Japan and beyond.
Director Veronika Poldauf Riedlbauchová has shown her work at Czech and international festivals and collaborates with the South Bohemian Theatre, DRAK Theatre, and companies such as Bratři v triku and Squadra Sua. For the production Do hajan, she received the Mateřinka Award 2021, was nominated for the Theatre Newspaper Award, and is a laureate of the International Zdeněk Fibich Prize. She previously collaborated with Holektiv on the production Lov.
