2023–24 Season

Illuminations: “Individual & Community”

Illuminations connects groundbreaking UC Berkeley scholarship to themes taken up by the world-class music, dance, and theater presented by Cal Performances. Illuminations programming, which includes performances, panel discussions, lecture demonstrations, Q&As, and more, sheds light on pressing topics with the power to transform our understanding of the world and shape the future.

Concepts of “individual” and “community” have been at the forefront of public discourse in recent years, with some models increasing polarization and radicalization within our society. Questions have emerged as to how we can best nurture a sense of community and how the groups we associate with impact our own sense of self. Given our fast-evolving social landscape, can we retain and celebrate the traits that make each of us unique, while still thriving in a world that demands cooperation and collaboration? And, as we examine this question, how can the performing arts guide us, either by mirroring or by modeling the ways our society functions?

Through performances and public programs presented in cooperation with our many partners at UC Berkeley, Illuminations will empower us to explore the tensions that come into play while balancing the interests of the individual with the interest of the group.

Illuminations: “Individual & Community” Videos

2023–24 Season Illuminations Performances

New Music, Illuminations: Individual & Community

American Railroad
Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens

Nov 17, 2023, 8pm
Dance, Illuminations: Individual & Community

Urban Bush Women

Hair & Other Stories
Bay Area Premiere

Dec 1–3, 2023
Dance, Illuminations: Individual & Community

common ground[s]

by Germaine Acogny & Malou Airaudo

The Rite of Spring

by Pina Bausch
Bay Area Premiere

Feb 16–18, 2024
Theater, Illuminations: Individual & Community

Taylor Mac & Matt Ray’s
Bark of Millions

West Coast Premiere

Feb 23–25, 2024
Theater, Illuminations: Individual & Community

Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge
Elevator Repair Service

Bay Area Premiere

Mar 1–3, 2024
New Music, Illuminations: Individual & Community

Nathalie Joachim

Ki moun ou ye (Who are you?)
West Coast Premiere

Mar 7, 2024, 7:30pm
Jazz, Illuminations: Individual & Community

OKAN

Mar 8, 2024, 8pm
New Music, Illuminations: Individual & Community

Wild Up

Julius Eastman’s Femenine
Christopher Rountree, conductor

Mar 9, 2024, 8pm

Beyond the Stage: Illuminations Videos and Features

Koret Foundation Logo
Lead support for Illuminations is provided by the Koret Foundation.