Croatian premiere:
12–13 December 2025, Pogon Jedinstvo, Zagreb
Slovenian premiere:
17 December 2025, Španski borci, Ljubljana
Additional performances:
18–19 December 2025, Španski borci, Ljubljana
Author and choreographer: Petra Hrašćanec
Performers: Valentina Miloš, Ana Kljujev, Núria Capella Florensa, Tina Benko, Marco Quarantotto, Nenad Kovačić
Music: Marco Quarantotto, Nenad Kovačić
Dramaturgy and text: Dimitrije Kokanov
Set design: Lovro Ivančić, Matej Kniewald
Costume design: Lovro Ivančić, Noa Kapchitz
Lighting design: Andrija Santro
Graphic design: Petra Milički
Photography: Karla Jurić (925 STUDIO)
PR: Anja Pletikosa (HR), Slavica Tucakov (SI)
Executive production: Marko Turčinov (HR), Slavica Tucakov (SI)
Production: 21:21 (HR), Mirabelka (SI)
Co-production: ZPC (HR), Zavod EN-KNAP (SI)
Partners: POGON – Zagreb Center for Independent Culture and Youth (HR), Slovenian Contemporary Dance Association (SI)
The project is financially supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, the City of Ljubljana, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, the City of Zagreb, and Kultura Nova Foundation.
Mandragora is a contemporary dance and music performance by Petra Hrašćanec, situated at the intersection of ritual, movement, and sound. Four dancers and two percussionists explore the primal human need for communal celebration, rhythm, movement, and shared catharsis. Their creation is based on responsiveness and spontaneity, which gradually builds into a shared sound-body experience. The format of the performance shifts between dance and concert, emphasizing the sensitive space between these two expressive worlds.
The performance stems from the idea of ritual as heritage and identity. Ancient ceremonial practices, once used for healing and celebration, are now appearing in new forms, at concerts and festivals, where performers and audiences merge into a shared experience. Mandragora invites the viewer to become part of a living ritual of sound and movement, in which the individual dissolves into a sense of connection and shared energy.
The inspiration for the title comes from the legendary mandrake plant, which has been surrounded by myths, healing stories, and magic for centuries. It was once believed that the plant had healing powers, but also dangers. According to tradition, when uprooted, it would scream and kill anyone who heard its cry. The mandrake thus became a symbol of the power of the body and voice to awaken, heal, and transform.
The project is a Croatian-Slovenian co-production that involves artists who combine contemporary dance, live music, and performance. Such collaboration broadens the space for creative dialogue and highlights the common cultural roots and artistic practices of the region.
Petra Hrašćanec is a renowned Croatian choreographer and educator, founder and artistic director of the organization 21:21, and associate professor of contemporary dance at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb. In her work, she explores the body as a performative reality through various media. Her works have been presented at leading European venues and festivals, including ImPulsTanz in Vienna, Rencontres chorégraphiques in Paris, UOVO in Milan, and Théâtre de la Bastille in Paris. Between 2009 and 2020, she directed the Monoplay festival in Zadar.
»After attending a choreography workshop organized by Magdalena Reiter in Ljubljana, I felt inspired to create a project in collaboration with Slovenian artists. Reflecting on my current interests, I began to conceive a project that would somehow connect the cultural space of the countries of the former Yugoslavia and explore the use of voice and rhythm on stage in live performance. As I have been involved with the contemporary music scene for a long time (Nenad and Alen Sinkauz, Hahn Rowe, Porto Morto, Gordan Tudor) and because my work oscillates between dance and theater (collaborations with Sašo Božić, Simone Aughterlony, and Ksenija Zec), I wanted to, or rather am trying to, connect my current fascinations and thoughts in a performance entitled Mandragora.« Petra Hrašćanec
Photo credits: Karla Jurić (925STUDIO)
MIRABELKA 