Duke Performances

Does genre still matter? Duke Performances’ 2011/2012 season answers with a qualified yes. Tradition keeps us rooted, but in art and individuals alike, change is a sign of life. Through unique commissions and in-depth residencies, we track the courses of convention and innovation as they crisscross the overlapping provinces of music, dance, and theater; classical, jazz, and soul; Afrobeat, bachata, and flamenco.

Working across media and cultures, our performers share a drive to make genre a point of origin rather than a destination. With courageous vision, they reinvent classic forms and divulge hidden connections, blazing new trails while staying anchored in history. From Bassekou Kouyaté’s modernized ngoni music to Chunky Move’s groundbreaking hybrid of dance and sculpture; from Robert Glasper’s hip-hop-infused jazz to Bill Frisell’s cinematic Americana; our new season is categorically unruly, mercurial, and self-surpassing — in other words, alive.