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Distributed February 9, 2005
Contact Mary Jo Curtis

Brown University will present a performance by the award-winning dance company Urban Bush Women Saturday, Feb. 26, 2005, at 7:30 p.m. at the Providence Performing Arts Center. The troupe will also present a “Hair Party” Friday, Feb. 25, at 6:30 p.m. at the Providence Black Repertory Theatre Company. The public is welcome; tickets are required for both events.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — In celebration of Black History Month and Women’s History Month, Brown University will present Urban Bush Women, a Brooklyn-based, award-winning dance ensemble, in a performance at the Providence Performing Arts Center Saturday, Feb. 26, 2005, at 7:30 p.m.

The dance troupe will also present a “Hair Party,” an arts-based performance project that uses personal hair experiences to generate dialogue on social and political issues, on Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the Providence Black Repertory Theatre Company.

Founded in 1984 by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Urban Bush Women engages its audience with performances based on the life experiences of women, African American history and the cultural influences of the African diaspora. In addition to creating and performing works for the stage, the company is involved in training artists in dance and community engagement, as well as in public projects that encourage cultural activities as an inherent part of community life.

“The company is committed to nurturing individual leadership skills and to using art to encourage social responsibility and civic engagement,” said Brown student Andre Thompson, organizer of the events.

Urban Bush Women has performed throughout the United States and in Asia, Australia, Europe and South America, and in festivals including Jacob’s Pillow, Spoleto USA, the National Black Arts Festival, Dance Umbrella UK and Lincoln Center. The company has been commissioned extensively nationwide. Its awards and honors include a 1992 New York Dance and Performance Award (a “Bessie”), the 1994 Capezio Award for outstanding achievement in dance and the 1998 Doris Duke Award for New Work from the American Dance Festival.

In an Oct. 12, 2004, review, The New York Times said of a 20^th anniversary performance, “There were allusions to God but little evidence of his existence until (the dancers) spun slowly onto the stage.” In October 2001 Dance Magazine said, “Urban Bush Women specializes in making dances with social consciousness as well as aesthetic appeal.”

Tickets for the PPAC performance are $20 and $25 and are available at the PPAC box office at 220 Weybosset St., by calling (401) 421-2787 or by visiting www.ppacri.org.

The Feb. 25 “Hair Party” will be followed by a performance of Cheryl J. West’s “Jar the Floor,” a heartwarming dramatic comedy about a quartet of black women and one white friend tackling the challenges of growing up and growing old. Tickets for both performances at the Black Repertory Theatre are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and children; they are available at the box office at 276 Westminster St. or by calling (401) 351-0353.

For more information on Urban Bush Women, visit www.urbanbushwomen.org. For more information on either event, e-mail andre_thompson@brown.edu.

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