Roulette TV sits down with composer Sonya Belaya to discuss her performance, Cognitive Distortions / Ancestral Patterns—presented at Roulette in June 2021 as part of Belaya's year-long residency. Cognitive Distortions / Ancestral Patterns examines cognitive distortions (also known as automatic thoughts) through the perspectives and stories of immigrant women. Cognitive distortions are habitual thought patterns humans experience every day that are negative or biased. As identified by Western psychology, there are twelve common cognitive distortions. In this collective storytelling, Cognitive Distortions / Ancestral Patterns examines how the intersection of ancestry, psychology, spirituality, and culture plays into automatic thoughts, and considers the restructuring of thought patterns as a blueprint for radical healing.

Songs and Stories My Mother Taught Me” is a curated event by Patricia Wheeler (The Moth StorySLAM Ann Arbor and Detroit, Moth Radio Hour) and Sonya Belaya. The concert will pair live story-telling by Detroit-native storytellers (Patricia Wheeler, Satori Shakoor, Dameon Wilburn and Shannon Cason) with an indie-chamber song cycle entitled “Songs My Mother Taught Me”, composed by Sonya Belaya. The song cycle combines through-composed and improvised elements to tell the personal story of Sonya’s mother’s disappearance. Touching on themes of loss, motherhood, and creative identity, the performance serves as a vulnerable exploration for healing and self-understanding. The event is presented as two acts with an intermission in between (7 pm and 8:30 pm). Audience members are encouraged to stay for both sets to experience the full performance.