In Wonderland
Choreographer & Performer: Petra Zanki
Music/Sound Collage: Haganin Sevdah ( Što te Nema – Why aren’t you here?, traditional song/Jadranka Stojaković) Lamma Bada Yatathanna (لما بدا يتثنى My beloved / traditional song), היא שלום בתוכי (Hi Shalom B’Tochi "She is Peace Within Me, Nathan Rabin, Sweet Fern/ The Carter Family, Ballaké Sissoko “Esperanza”, Meredith Monk“Ellis Island”, Meredith Monk “Eon”.
Costumes: Petra Zanki
Lighting Design by Center for Performance Research resident lighting designer
Program note: Special thanks to Giada Matteini, Leslie and Eric at Peaceable Barn Residency, Redding CT, Vallejo Gantner and Gundega Laivina, and Vallejo for purpleblue house Residency, Callicoon NY, Benjamin Goosman and John C. Robinson for their continuous generous support, Sharoni and Dan for Hebrew, and Alber Baseel for Arabic pronunciation.
About the work: Once upon a time, there was a girl born in a small village on the Adriatic Sea. She loved dancing and started as a folk dancer in a local community. Folk dancing was the only option available in Yugoslavia, aside from ballet. Her parents were not wealthy enough to send her to ballet, so she got to do folk dancing. She danced herself all the way up into a contemporary dancer landing in America only to discover that there might be a wolf there. Bringing the Balkans she comes from and their complex and diverse traditions to the spectators’ subconscious and conscious perception, in the manner of folktales, through a kaleidoscope of movement, text, music, scenography and video imagery, “In Wonderland” tells the story of how large-scale violence can make us more susceptible to other types of violence. It is a danced fairytale from the past to the future, in seven images that, instead of judging, speaks about forgiveness.
Developed in coproduction with WADE Dance /TISCH/NYU through the residencies FULL ON SUBJECT as well as Peaceable Barn, CT, and PurpleBlue House, Callicoon, NY.

About the music: 
Haganin Sevdah ( Što te Nema – Why aren’t you here?) sung in Bosnian
Haganin Sevdah is a traditional Bosnian sevdalinka whose origins trace back centuries. It combines Ottoman/Turkish musical traditions with South Slavic oral poetry, enriched by Balkan, Sephardic, and Romani influences. The earliest documented references appear in the 16th-century Ottoman-era Erlangen Manuscript. The title is derived from the Turkish word hazan (autumn) and sevdah (deep, melancholic longing), it tell stories of unfulfilled desire, separation, and heartache, often expressing the deep, reflective sorrow known as sevdah.
Lamma Bada Yatathanna (When he appeared, He began to sway gracefully) sung in Arabic
Lamma Bada Yatathanna is a classical Arabic muwashshah from medieval Al-Andalus (9th–10th centuries). It blends classical Arabic poetic meters with Iberian melodic elements, and Sephardic Jewish poets and musicians contributed to its composition and transmission. The title translates as “When He Appeared, He Began to Sway Gracefully,” The lyrics describe the graceful appearance and movements of a beloved, often using imagery of elegance, charm, and attraction and the song expresses themes of love, beauty, and graceful longing. Muwashshah like this influenced Mediterranean, North African, and Ottoman music.
Hi Shalom B’Tochi (היא שלום בתוכי) My prayer sung in Hebrew
Natan Rabin is the author of the song היא שלום בתוכי (Hi Shalom B’Tochi), which translates to "She is Peace Within Me." It is a modern Hebrew spiritual song by Nathan Rabin focused on inner peace, gratitude, and mindfulness. The song was released as part of his album My Prayer on December 12, 2023, under the TaOr Music label. Its flowing, stepwise melody and minor/modal tonality echo characteristics of traditional Jewish nigunim and Sephardic folk music, though it is a contemporary composition. The lyrics emphasize daily reflection, trust in oneself, and appreciation for life, creating a meditative and contemplative atmosphere.
Sweet Fern – Sara and Maybelle Carter, performing as part of the Carter Family, were pioneers of American folk music in the early 20th century. Widely regarded as one of the most influential groups of their era, they played a pivotal role in shaping bluegrass, country, southern gospel, pop, rock, and the American folk revival of the 1960s. Known as the “First Family of Country Music,” they earned a place in the Nashville Hall of Fame. Despite these achievements, the Carters never reached the same level of commercial success,a dn did not break into the mainstream. They often returned to their home in Clinch Valley, Virginia, remaining deeply connected to their roots, frequently disillusioned by the trappings of the show business world.
Esperanza - Ballaké Sissoko embodies the griot tradition born into a prestigious lineage of Malian griots, he inherited the ancient role of West African musical storyteller, learning the historical epics, genealogies, and praise songs that kora instrument players have transmitted for generations. His playing maintains the griot's essential function as oral historian, with melodies that carry centuries of Mandé memory and narrative, yet he has expanded what stories the kora can tell. Ballaké uses the kora to narrate not just ancestral histories but contemporary stories of cultural exchange, migration, and connection across borders. He demonstrates that the griot's storytelling role is inherently adaptive, just as griots have always shaped their narratives to speak to their present moment, Ballaké honors his heritage by allowing the kora's voice to chronicle both Mali's ancient past and Africa's evolving place in the modern world.
Meredith Monk is an American composer, vocalist, and interdisciplinary artist known for her pioneering work in extended vocal techniques and minimalist composition. Her piece "Ellis Island" (1981) is a hauntingly evocative work created for a film about the abandoned immigration station, using wordless vocals, repetitive melodic patterns, and layered voices to conjure the ghosts of millions of immigrants who passed through that portal to Americ. The music becomes a kind of emotional archaeology, giving voice to forgotten stories of hope, loss, and transformation. "Eon" (1989) is part of her larger work "Book of Days" and showcases her signature approach of using the voice as a pure instrument beyond language, with ancient-sounding modal melodies and rhythmic vocal textures that seem to exist outside linear time. Both pieces exemplify Monk's ability to create deeply spiritual, almost ritualistic music that explores human experience and memory through sound itself rather than words, making her vocal compositions feel like they're reaching across centuries to touch something primal and universal in the human condition.

Short Pause

soil to sky
Choreographer & Performer: Keerati Jinakunwiphat
Music/Sound: ‘New Dawn’ by Sathapat Sangsuwan, ‘Wave’ by Antonio Carlos Jobim, ‘Knives’ and ‘Washing’ by Quaba Venza Ernest, and 'ลำปางใหญ่’ by นิก กอไผ่.
Costumes by Karen Young
Lighting Design by Center for Performance Research resident lighting designer
About the Work: soil to sky honors the labor, sacrifice, and care of past and present ancestors. With these domestic objects, we transform everyday spaces into scenes of resonance, lineage, and belonging.