“Mekong: Life,” a multimedia work celebrating the cultures of people who live along the Mekong River and showcasing how environmental change has shaped Southeast Asian cultures. Composer and Vietnamese master traditional artist Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ, in collaboration with VANGO Network, has been commissioned to create “Mekong: Life,” a multimedia work that not only celebrates the…

“Celebration of the Great Shoton Festival of Tibet in the Bay Area” reimagines a traditional Tibetan opera. Chaksam-pa is commissioning Tibetan American musician, dancer, and Tibetan opera singer Tsering Wangmo to develop and present the first-ever American presentation of a two-day Tibetan Opera in the Ache Lhamo tradition. She will work closely with a team…

“Woven Verses: Poetic Resistance and Resilience,” an evening-length song cycle set to classical and contemporary Persian texts. Iranian singer and musician Mahsa Vahdat, in collaboration with Freight and Salvage, has been commissioned to create and perform an evening-length song cycle set to interwoven classical and contemporary Persian texts. Presented over two nights, “Woven Verses: Poetic…

For “Eyoomkuuka’ro Kokomaar” (“We Paddle Together”), a Native American artist will work closely with California Indian tribes to create a traditional ti’aat plank canoe. The Queer Cultural Center is commissioning Native American (Tongva/Acjachemen/Raramuri) artist L. Frank Manriquez to create a traditional ti’aat plank canoe. She will work closely with artisans and culture bearers of local…

“Raíces et Révolution” (“Roots and Revolution”), a dance performance about Cuba and Guinea’s cultural and political relationships. Dance Brigade / Dance Mission Theater is commissioning Afro-Cuban choreographer Susana Arenas Pedroso to collaborate with Duniya Dance and Drum Company. The work will illuminate Cuba and Guinea’s cultural and political relationships, drawing on Pedroso’s unsparing choreography, Regla…

“Princess Nautanki,” the largest Indian Nautanki folk opera ever staged in the U.S. Devendra Sharma Nautanki Folk Opera Ensemble will partner with CounterPulse to commission seventh-generation Nautanki opera performer, writer, director, and guru Devendra Sharma to create a contemporaneously interpreted, woman-centered production. Nautanki is an Indian folk opera, often produced with modest resources these days.…

“The Rebirth of Apsara: Artistic Lineage, Cultural Resilience, and the Resurrection of Cambodian Arts from the Ashes of Genocide,” a dance-theater piece exploring how Khmer arts have embodied the essence of Cambodian culture from ancient mythology to its post-1970s genocide revitalization. Musical Traditions is commissioning Cambodian American dancer, choreographer and, culture bearer Charya Burt to…

“Hogbetsoto – Day of Crossing Over,” a dance project commemorating the Anlo-Ewe people’s historic flight from servitude in Togo to freedom in Ghana. East Bay Center is commissioning Ghanaian American choreographer and master drummer CK Ladzekpo to create a work that will use drumming, dancing, and ritual to reenact the Anlo-Ewe people’s historic flight from…

“Blues, Baroque, and Bars: From the Streets to the Symphony,” an evening-length suite of music reimagining traditional blues to tell the story of Black Americans journey from Africa, to the American South, through the Great Migration. Art + Soul Oakland is commissioning African American blues and jazz vocalist The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol to create…

“Cigarra” will use elements of acrobatic movement, self-defense, theater, and music to tell the story of pioneering women in Brazilian traditional arts. ABADÁ-Capoeira is commissioning Brazilian American capoeira master and teacher Marcia Treidler to conduct research and interviews to uncover the story of pioneering women in the Brazilian traditional arts. The work will focus mainly…