Founded in 1984 by dancer/choreographer/theater director and social activist, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Urban Bush Women takes over the stage at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus this Friday, April 19, at 8 p.m. The highly acclaimed company will present a collection of signature creations by its founder and a new piece by current Co-Artistic Directors Chanon Judson and Mame Diarra Speis. The event is part of the Center for the Art of Performance UCLA’s 2024 season.
“Legacy + Lineage + Liberation” continues the ensemble’s mission to reveal under-told stories informed by the Women+ and African Diasporic experience. The program is described as including “deeply affecting works that explore issues of equity, justice and identity informed by ancestral wisdom and the Civil Rights movement.” With a dynamic sense of musicality and live accompaniment from singer/guitarist Grace Galu Kalambay and drummer Lucianna Padmore, the production reveals the “multiple dimensions of life that resonate in this time of reflection around equity, justice and identity that lift up Black lives in inspiring ways.”
The company and Zollar have been honored with recognition and awards from private and public agencies across the globe. It is celebrating its 40th year while being named as one of the nation’s cultural treasures by the Ford Foundation.
—Benn Widdey, Culture Spot LA
Location:
Royce Hall, 10745 Dickson Court, LA 90095
Tickets:
$39-$69
Info:
https://cap.ucla.edu/event/urban-bush-women
Urban Bush Women / Photo by Hayim Heron