In 1984, one woman, grown weary of a choreography world dominated by men, created a dance company dedicated to addressing controversial issues and insightful life stories through movement. The woman was Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and the company was Urban Bush Women. Based in Brooklyn, the 25-year-old company completes its three-day residency at Duke with tonight’s performance.
The company opened its residency with a day of dance workshops, which is how founder and choreographer Zollar found some of her earlier dancers. The seven-person company is currently comprised of seven black women, though the company has never been exclusively female or black.
“I never said, ‘I want African-American dancers,’” Zollar said. “I said, ‘I want dancers of African culture,’ and I let people interpret that.”
The company focuses not on aesthetics, like other dance companies, but on communication.
“We are storytellers,” said Catherine Denecy, a dancer in her third year with the Urban Bush Women. “We are a company who focuses on an undertold story from the people of the African diaspora. It’s really about telling stories you don’t often hear.”
The evening’s performance consists of four pieces: “Give Your Hands to Struggle,” “Girlfriends,” “Walking with Pearl: African Diaries” and “Naked City.” The latter is a newer collaboration by Zollar and Nora Chipaumire, based on the '50s film noir television series of the same name. It explores life in New York City, drawing inspiration from Toni Morrison’s Jazz and paintings by artist Ernie Barnes. All the pieces focus on diaspora and African American life in the US.
“[We have] a piece called ‘Shelter’ originally performed in the ‘80s about homelessness in the city,” said dancer Keisha Turner. “In 2006 Jawole adapted it to address the tragedy of Katrina....What really drew me to the company is the idea of being storytellers as opposed to movers that explore dance for dance’s sake. Telling these stories from such a perspective, it strongly resonates and sets the company apart.”
The dancers in the company work hard not only to tell stories of the African diaspora, but to raise general awareness of the African American condition across the country by bringing it to their audiences in relatable ways.
“Urban Bush Women tells stories, specifically the untold stories of people who don’t have a voice,” said dancer Samantha Speis. “That was something I didn’t do prior to entering Urban Bush Women. I was not that kind of dancer. We all have our own experiences and were given permission to bring those to the work. There are different levels and ways to relate.”
Zollar prefers to include the company in the production and choreography of individual pieces.
“I feel that it is an opportunity to find oneself on the stage,” Turner said. “The stories draw me in where I can find myself, connecting to whatever story is being told. Urban Bush Women offers a lot of entry points for people to make that connection.”
The company also strives to promote social activism and thought.
“Rather then sitting down and enjoying some pretty lines and some nice turns and then going home, this is an opportunity to open lines for conversation,” Turner said. “[The] piece called ‘Give Your
Hands to Struggle’ is based on a sermon called ‘What’s in Your Hands’ from the civil rights movement. It talks about the power indiviuals have in their hands. Whether your personal struggle as a viewer is that of civil rights or any other struggle, you can find an entry point, a way of relating and finding your own personal power.”
Urban Bush Women is well aware of their unusual duty in the arts community.
“We don’t try to look pretty or right,” Denecy said. “We try to be as we are. We don’t try to pose and look a certain way as we live. I want dance the same way.... Every time I do a piece, I go on a nice ride. A real one, and I want to bring people with me.
Urban Bush Women perform in Reynolds Industries tonight at 8 p.m.
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