Hussein Smko discovered his passion for dance in Kurdistan, during the 2003 American invasion of Iraq. Dance is discouraged in Islam, but he used social media to learn breakdancing, house, and capoeira on his own, and eventually Jonathan Hollander of Battery Dance spotted him and began to coach the dancer via Skype. Smko brings his own experience of displacement to the production. His choreography for “Iphigenia’s” cast of actors who are untrained in dance was strongest when unadorned, such as a section of hypnotic foot stomping in unison, the performers’ arms raised overhead—a motif inspired by Middle Eastern folk dances. The most deft mover, Danny Bryck, narrated the evening as a Puck-like character with a wreath of flowers on his head. While balancing off-kilter on one leg and flashing a cocky smile, he brought to life a vital element of the story—the Wind. In Euripides’ narrative, the Greek troops were stalled without the wind necessary to set sail. Once Agamemnon completed the sacrifice of his daughter, the gods would allow the wind to blow and thus the war to begin. Bryck brought a cheeky personality to his role, taunting Agamemnon with: “Go on, make me.”

The purpose of the Greek chorus is typically to comment on the story. But here, Smko’s chorus performs the story in movement while the commentary comes from Bryck as narrator. As a dancer, Smko often seemed to be pulling his fellow chorus members along behind him, and much of the choreography felt cramped in the small space. Finally, he took a solo that allowed him to completely unfurl his lanky mass. His energy was fiercely raw as he leapt laterally from side to side, higher with each repetition. The way he shimmied his shoulders reminded me of a traditional Jewish dance, but he gave the move a forceful snap, like popping, in hip hop.