Attic

In creating Attic, Staib asked dancers to consider how and where they hold, carry, store, and often bury remembrances of the past. Inspired by his own memories of pre-Revolutionary Iran — a culturally-rich yet dangerous and politically unstable place — the choreographer pits the celebratory against the terrifying. Many images are adapted from the traditional Persian festival Nowruz, a spring celebration that marks the start of the Persian calendar’s new year with symbolic rituals of rebirth, cleansing, and goodwill toward others.
Set in the round, with audience members on the stage and dancers surrounding them, Attic is an immersive, often unsettling work. Experiences accumulate, perspective shifts, and the audience is gradually folded into a world altered by memory’s fuzzy lens.

“…this is one of those rare works one could watch again and again and find deeper insights every time.” - ArtsATL