Community Renewal Event with Urban Bush Women

Join FirstWorks, Urban Bush Women, and community members for a bold, transformative evening featuring food, conversation, and a showcase of local African-American performers emceed by Valerie Tutson and featuring Becky Bass, Christopher Johnson, Melodie Thompson, Rose Weaver, Ricardo Pitts-Wiley, Sidy Maiga, Rod Luther. To cap off the evening, Urban Bush Women will perform Nora Chipaumire’s “dark swan,” a sensual work exploring the presentation and representation of the African female body. (Note that “dark swan” contains mature language and movement, and may not be suitable for younger children.) This event is a K-12 Professional Development opportunity for educators.

Registration is required; space is limited. Tickets available in advance or at the door; cost ranges from $10 to $25. To register, email Annette Robinson at annette@first-works.org. (*Premium ticketholders for the “Walking with ‘Trane” performance can attend for free! Contact Annette Robinson for more information.)

Urban Bush Women is an electrifying, Brooklyn-based dance troupe which galvanizes artists, activists, audiences and communities through performances, artist development, education and community engagement. As part of FirstWorks’ Artistic Icons Series, they will perform “Walking with ‘Trane,” a new live music/dance event created by the in tribute to the life of legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane and his seminal jazz suite, “A Love Supreme” on February 27 at the Vets.

FirstWorks’ Art Activating Community: Urban Bush Women in RI is made possible with lead support from Dance USA/The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, Brown University Creative Arts Council, RISD CSI, Carter Family Charitable Trust, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Project is presented as a Widening the Circle initiative, a partnership with the American Dance Legacy Initiative and Rites and Reason Theatre with support from Brown’s Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies. Additional partners include Artists and Scientists as Partners and The Rhythm of Change Festival.