LPAC and Culture Lab LIC Present SARAH, a Work-in-Progress by Hussein Smko
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (February 10, 2026) — LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (LPAC) at LaGuardia Community College/CUNY, in partnership with Culture Lab LIC, presents A Duet from SARAH, a work-in-progress by noted choreographer Hussein Smko. Partially developed at LPAC over more than two years, the intimate duet will be presented at Culture Lab LIC on Saturday, February 21, at 7:30 p.m. The performance explores Kurdish experiences, cultural memory, and political transformation through the lens of war and displacement.
The work reflects on the violent rule of Saddam Hussein and his 2005 trial before the Iraqi Special Tribunal, exploring how political violence reverberates through human relationships, bodily autonomy, and artistic expression.
Choreographed and performed by project/tag co-artistic directors Hussein Smko and Mizuho Kappa, SARAH unfolds as a physical and emotional dialogue shaped by years of research, lived experience, and iterative development.
The duet represents the latest outcome of LPAC’s sustained support for the project, which has included a CUNY Dance Initiative (CDI) Rehearsal Residency during the 2023–2024 season, as well as multiple work-in-progress presentations at LPAC in September 2023 and May 2024. Together, these stages of development reflect LPAC’s long-standing commitment to providing artists with the time, space, and resources to build bold, socially engaged work over time.
Doors open at 7 p.m., with the performance beginning at 7:30 p.m., followed by a video excerpt and a post-performance Q&A.
Event Details
Date: Saturday, February 21
Time: Doors 7 p.m.; Performance 7:30 p.m.
Location: Culture Lab LIC, 5-25 46th Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
Tickets: General Admission $10; Students $5. Reserve here.
Artists:
Hussein Smko
Mizuho Kappa
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The LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (LPAC), located at LaGuardia Community College, is a cultural hub that fosters artistic excellence, education, and community engagement. LPAC is dedicated to providing a platform for dynamic artists and storytellers to create, collaborate, and inspire. Through diverse programming, LPAC continues to support its mission of making the arts accessible to all. It is the stage for productions of the award-winning Theater and Music Performance programs of LaGuardia Community College, as well as works from partner institutions, including Carnegie Hall, Joffrey Ballet School, and the Drama League of New York.
LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.
Culture Lab LIC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving as an Arts and Culture hub for Western Queens. The organization presents local, national, and international artists across disciplines while supporting New York–based artists and fellow nonprofits through access to space, resources, and a strong sense of community. Operating out of a 12,000-square-foot converted warehouse in Long Island City, Culture Lab LIC includes two fine art galleries, an 80-seat theater, classroom space, a robust residency program, and an 18,000-square-foot outdoor venue. Culture Lab LIC is committed to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion across all its platforms and programming.
project/tag is an artistic platform dedicated to fostering social discourse through dance and the performing arts. The organization creates collaborative works that elevate marginalized narratives and support communal reflection and healing. Recent projects include Call for Prayer (2020), presented at Battery Dance Festival, The Shed, and the Kennedy Center, and Roses in Sand (2022), which premiered as part of One Journey Festival NYC. project/tag’s current work-in-progress, SARAH (2022–2026), has been developed and showcased through LPAC, the CUNY Dance Initiative, and Rough Draft Festival.
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