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Dance

common ground[s]

by Germaine Acogny & Malou Airaudo

The Rite of Spring

by Pina Bausch

A Pina Bausch Foundation, École des Sables, & Sadler’s Wells production

Bay Area Premiere

In this double-bill production, Pina Bausch’s iconic The Rite of Spring, a “ferocious roar of a piece” (The Guardian), is performed by an ensemble of more than 30 dancers from 14 African countries and assembled through a collaboration with the Pina Bausch Foundation, École des Sables, and Sadler’s Wells. Stravinsky’s searing, ominous score takes on new meaning through visceral choreography as a “chosen one” is sacrificed.

The occasion is momentous—it is only in recent years that Bausch’s pioneering work has been taught to new dancers outside of her company—and a thrilling opportunity to see her vision created anew on the Zellerbach Hall stage.

The companion piece common ground[s] is a new duet co-created and danced by two septuagenarians—Germaine Acogny, known as the “mother of African contemporary dance,” and Malou Airaudo, a longtime dancer with the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch.

Join us for a post-performance moderated discussion on Fri, Feb 16. 

This event is part of Cal Performances’ Illuminations: “Individual & Community” programming for the 2023–24 season.

Co-produced with Théâtre de la Ville, Paris; Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg; Holland Festival, Amsterdam; Festspielhaus, St. Pölten; Ludwigsburg Festival; Teatros del Canal de la Comunidad de Madrid; Adelaide Festival; and Spoleto Festival dei 2Mondi

The project is funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation, the Ministry of Culture and Science of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the International Co-production Fund of the Goethe-Institut, and kindly supported by the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. 

This performance is made possible, in part, by Helen Berggruen for Five Arts Foundation (February 16), and Rockridge Market Hall (February 17).

Run time for this performance is approximately 1 hour 40 minutes including intermission. 

Live Audio Description

For blind and visually impaired audience members, live audio descriptions are available for the Feb 16 performance of common ground[s] by Germaine Acogny & Malou Airaudo; The Rite of Spring by Pina Bausch. For more information or to reserve a headset for this performance, please contact the Ticket Office.

Feb 16–18, 2024
Add to Calendar 02/16/2024 08:00 pm 02/16/2024 09:30 pm America/Los_Angeles common ground[s]; The Rite of Spring https://calperformances.org/events/2023-24/dance/common-grounds-the-rite-of-spring/ Zellerbach Hall
Feb 16, 2024, 8pm
Feb 17, 2024, 8pm
Feb 18, 2024, 3pm

If you receive a sold out notice when buying tickets, add yourself to a notification list to be alerted if tickets become available.

Tickets start at $38

Program Notes

View Program Book: Digital Program | Download PDF

Video

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Beyond the Stage Related Posts

Feb 16–18, 2024
Add to Calendar 02/16/2024 08:00 pm 02/16/2024 09:30 pm America/Los_Angeles common ground[s]; The Rite of Spring https://calperformances.org/events/2023-24/dance/common-grounds-the-rite-of-spring/ Zellerbach Hall
Feb 16, 2024, 8pm
Feb 17, 2024, 8pm
Feb 18, 2024, 3pm

If you receive a sold out notice when buying tickets, add yourself to a notification list to be alerted if tickets become available.

Tickets start at $38

Live Audio Description and Haptic Access Tour

For blind and visually impaired audience members, a pre-show haptic access tour and live audio description headsets are available for the Feb 16 performance of common ground[s] by Germaine Acogny & Malou Airaudo; The Rite of Spring by Pina Bausch. For more information or to reserve a headset/attend the tour for this performance, please contact the Ticket Office.

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