Performance

Sacred Spaces

Sacred Spaces
by Matthew Rushing

Friday, September 18 at 7:30pm

In Sacred Spaces, Alvin Ailey’s Associate Artistic Director Matthew Rushing and Co-creator and Musical Director Du’Bois A’Keen revisit the legacy and spirituality of Revelations.

Mo Amer

Mo Amer

Tuesday, September 22 at 7:30pm

Trailblazing comedian Mo Amer brings his sharp, deeply-personal stand-up to Durham to help kick off the Duke Arts Presents season. Known for his acclaimed series MO and three stand-up specials on Netflix, Amer has built a global following with comedy that blends personal storytelling, cultural insight, and fearless humor.

MAJOR

MAJOR
by Ogemdi Ude

Friday, October 2 at 7:30pm

In MAJOR, a dance-theater work by Ogemdi Ude, six Black femmes explore the power, memory, and physicality of majorette dance.

VOCES8

VOCES8
Lead Me Home

Thursday, October 15 at 7:30pm

Celebrated British vocal ensemble VOCES8 explores the traditions that shape American choral music, from early voices like William Byrd to contemporary composers like Caroline Shaw.

Gathering

Gathering
by Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre

February 12 - February 13

In this evocative work, hundreds of oranges spill across the stage—passed hand to hand, scattered and crushed underfoot—as dancers reshape the space in an ever-shifting meditation on loss, survival, and human connection.

Tenebrae

Tenebrae
A Prayer for Deliverance

Tuesday, March 2 at 7:30pm

British choir Tenebrae is internationally renowned for its extraordinary clarity and emotional depth. A Prayer for Deliverance brings choral works centering on rest, solace, and spiritual reflection.

HopeBoykinDance: Troubled No More

HopeBoykinDance: Troubled No More

Saturday, March 20 at 7:30pm

HopeBoykinDance returns to Duke with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago for the premiere of "Troubled No More," a celebration of gospel legend Pastor Shirley Caesar.

nora chipaumire: Dambudzo

nora chipaumire: Dambudzo

October 2, 2025 - October 4, 2025

Dambudzo is a live anti-genre work by acclaimed choreographer nora chipaumire, combining sound, painting, sculpture and performance to confront colonial legacies.

Kayfabe

Kayfabe
by Josh Rice

March 5, 2026 - March 6, 2026

Kayfabe is a puppet wrestling entertainment spectacular written, directed and designed by Josh Rice.

Marc Ribot: Reframing Dylan

Marc Ribot: Reframing Dylan

March 19, 2026

Marc Ribot performs re-interpretations and re-framings of Bob Dylan’s mid 1960s-era visionary poetry, the poetic environment from which Dylan’s work emerged, and the visionary poetry/music that emerged from it.

TESTO

TESTO
by Wet Mess

March 25, 2026 - March 26, 2026

In TESTO by Wet Mess, Wet Messifies the messiness of life with teeth and one chin hair; exploring transitions, testosterone, and the edges of drag.

Eiko Otake & Wen Hui: What Is War

Eiko Otake & Wen Hui: What Is War

September 25, 2025 - September 26, 2025

Groundbreaking multidisciplinary artists Wen Hui and Eiko Otake weave a complex and deeply personal tapestry, inviting the audience to consider war as a history, an inheritance, and a present-day reality.

Wanjiru Kamuyu: Fragmented Shadows

Wanjiru Kamuyu: Fragmented Shadows

October 9, 2025 - October 10, 2025

Choreographer Wanjiru Kamuyu leads audiences through a sensorial, contemplative journey into the body as a tapestry of memories and then a site of liberation.

Ayodele Casel: Rooted

Ayodele Casel: Rooted

September 27, 2024 - September 28, 2024

Catch "top-shelf tap dancer" Ayodele Casel perform "Rooted," a piece exploring shared roots and artistic intersections between tap, movement, spoken word, and jazz.