Hannah Epperson, Rebecca Margolick, Niloufar Nourbakhsh
A catenary is the curve that an idealized hanging chain assumes under its own weight, uniformly and perfectly flexible, supported equally at both ends.
Directed by Canadian-American violinist Hannah Epperson “one of the most stunningly unconventional artists making music today” (Bandcamp) and Canadian-American choreographer Rebecca Margolick (Dance Magazine’s Top 25 to Watch, 2021), Catenary is a new interdisciplinary work, making its world premiere at PS21 at the conclusion of a two-week residency.
The piece, which combines live music and dance in innovative and exciting ways, features three rising performers: Epperson, Margolick, and composer/pianist/electronics performer Niloufar Nourbakhsh (“darkly lyrical” — The New York Times). Throughout the performance, the musicians become part of the choreography, the gestural dance movements become part of the soundscape, and traditional relationships are redefined.
Featuring innovative sound design and experimental instrument structures, this dynamic new work opens a new and novel space for us all—performer and audience alike—to explore our relational potential together.
HANNAH EPPERSON
(b. 1987, Utah) Crossing boundaries is a feature of Hannah Epperson’s life and music—from residence in the US and Canada to more than 300 live performances in North America, Europe and the Middle East. Singled out by Bandcamp as “one of the most stunningly unconventional artists making music today,” renowned musicologist/critic Ted Gioia chose her debut album Upsweep as one of the Top 3 recordings of 2016, calling it “unique, haunting, addictive.” Classically trained, her genre-bending violin looping and singing was enriched by apprenticeships with the fiddler of acclaimed Deseret String Band and studio work and performances with Fleet Foxes, Dirty Projectors, Julianna Barwick and Ry X. A graduate in Human Geography, a member of Canada’s world champion Ultimate Frisbee Team, Hannah embodies music as a bridge, gathering soundscapes and people together in transfiguring moments of live and studio performances.
REBECCA MARGOLICK
Rebecca Margolick is a Canadian/American dancer and choreographer. Her dance creations have been presented in eleven countries, and her solo works have won multiple awards. She recently returned to her hometown of Vancouver, B.C., after living in NYC for 14 years. She was named one of Dance Magazine’s Top 25 to Watch in 2021 and has received fellowships and residencies from Ailey’s New Directions Choreography Lab, Banff Centre, Derida Stage, Centro de las Artes San Luis Potosí, and more. She has been commissioned to create original works on Oregon Ballet Theater, La Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, Arts Umbrella, NW Dance Project’s MOVE, and Ballet B.C.’s Annex. She has freelanced with many choreographers and was a company member of Sidra Bell Dance New York and UNA Productions. Alongside her projects, she is currently dancing in projects with Company 605, Charles-Alexis Desgagnés, Jason Martin, and Andrea Peña & Artists. Rebecca is an artistic advisor for BC Movement Arts Society, bringing contemporary dance to rural B.C. communities. She graduated from New York University and trained at Arts Umbrella.
NILOUFAR NOURBAKHSH
Described as “darkly lyrical” by the New York Times and “séduisante” by Le Monde, an awardee of 2023 Chamber Music America Commissioning Grant, a winner of 2022 Beth Morrison Projects Next Generation Competition, and a 2019 recipient of Opera America’s Discovery Grant, Niloufar Nourbakhsh’s music has been performed at numerous festivals and venues including BBC Proms, Ojai Music Festival, Mostly Mozart at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and Philharmonie de Paris. A founding member and co-artistic director of Iranian Female Composers Association, Nourbakhsh is a strong advocate of music education and equal opportunities. She currently teaches theory and composition at Longy School of Music of Bard College and Berklee College of Music. Niloufar holds a doctorate degree from Stony Brook University and regularly performs with her Ensemble Decipher.
Directed by: Hannah Epperson and Rebecca Margolick
Performers and collaborators: Hannah Epperson, Rebecca Margolick, and Niloufar Nourbakhsh
Lighting Designer: TBD
Costuming: by the artists
Created during a residency in the remote town of Wells, B.C, Canada, the work was first performed at the 2019 ArtsWells Festival. This work has continued to develop through a residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts in December 2019. We revisited and reimagined the work in July 2024 during a DanceLAB residency at The Dance Centre in Vancouver, B.C. In October 2025, we have a creative and technical residency leading to the premiere of Catenary at PS21 in Chatham, New York.
Support Acknowledgements: Canada Council for the Arts, Island Mountain Arts, ArtsWells, and Banff Center for the Arts.
