Take Root Presents: Chelsea Thedinga | Petra Zanki

February 27th & 28th at 8:00 PM
Green Space

37-24 24th Street Suite 211

Long Island City, NY 11101

$22 in advance, $25 at the door

Chelsea Thedinga | Here. Now. Close.
Here. Now. Close. delves into themes of grief, memory, community, and transformation in the aftermath of loss. Together, we move through states of fragmentation, remembrance, and reconfiguration—where personal sorrow becomes a portal to collective mourning and shared healing. We ask: how does the presence of others, as opposed to isolation, shape our ability to confront loss? Grief is deeply personal—an isolating experience that defies uniformity. Yet, through movement, we use the body as a vessel to investigate how longing imprints itself onto our physical world. In this work, resolution is not the goal; rather, it is the act of showing up—for ourselves and each other—that reveals a path through disorientation and disconnect. Ultimately, Here. Now. Close is an embodied offering: a meditation on how presence, not closure, fosters connection in the face of profound absence.

Petra Zanki | ORO
ORO is a hypnotic, symphony-like contemporary dance work rooted in the ancient circular dance tradition of Oro/Kolo: likely the oldest known dance formation in the world. Drawing from my South Slavic and Balkan heritage and origins as a folk dancer, I transform this ancestral practice into an abstract work with strong musicality, rhythm, and movement that honors its ritual essence while pushing it into new territory. Kolo is a form danced around the world across cultures, from the Balkans to Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jewish and Roma communities.The word “oro” derives from Greek meaning “dance,” while the verb “oriti” means “to speak, sound, sing” and “to celebrate,” embodying the interconnection of voice, movement, and ritual. In some languages “oro” also means gold. In times where we are disoriented and divided, this work brings people back together through the communal power of circular dance.