Cal Performances hosts immersive 'Gathering'

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Cal Performances is presenting the West Coast premiere of Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre's immersive production 'Gathering,' which draws inspiration from the metaphorical power of the orange to explore a wedding celebration shadowed by conflict. The performance features 13 dancers from 9 countries and invites audience members to participate in ceremonial rituals involving the fruit.

Why it matters

The production examines what it means to gather and celebrate community in the face of ongoing conflict and trauma, using the symbolism of the orange to represent a 'dispersed people, scattered into individual parts but still part of a whole.' It challenges traditional notions of theater by actively engaging the audience in the performance.

The details

In 'Gathering,' the performers, dressed in earth tones, cluster around a towering pile of oranges, which soon begin to fly and roll about the stage and into the audience. Audience members are invited to ceremonially lay the fruit on the dancers' bodies and even join the dancing themselves, blurring the line between performer and spectator.

• The West Coast premiere of 'Gathering' is taking place February 27-March 1, 2026 at Zellerbach Playhouse in Berkeley, California.

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