‘Petruschka’, the Russian word for parsley, is also the name of a traditional Russian puppet character who came to prominence in the early 20th century when he was reimagined in the 1911 ballet ‘Petruschka’ by the Ballets Russes. This ballet navigated a space between Westernised aesthetics and peripheral cultural motifs, embodying a complex interplay of modernity and exoticized Russianness. In her contemporary reactivation of Petrushka, post-Soviet dance artist Sasha Portyannikova uses this historically charged figure to examine her own position as a choreographer living and working in Western Europe, especially in light of the shrinking political freedoms in Russia and the ongoing war against Ukraine.

Through a journey across various movement languages, Portyannikova questions Eurocentric classifications of avant-garde and classical choreography. She asks what the canon of modern dance might look like if seen from its cultural margins rather than its Western centre. As part of the performance, the audience is engaged in a participatory question card game, where they navigate personal and collective dilemmas related to migration, foreignness, and geopolitical conflict. This interactive layer deepens the experience, turning spectators into critical participants in a performance that blurs the boundaries between art, politics, and lived reality.