Urban Bush Women

Urban Bush Women
Name	Urban Bush Women
Founded	1984
Founder	Jawole Willa Jo Zollar
Genre	Contemporary dance, modern dance, African diaspora dance
Headquarters	Brooklyn, New York

Urban Bush Women

Urban Bush Women is a professional dance company founded in 1984 by choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar in Brooklyn, New York, dedicated to exploring African diaspora cultural narratives through performance. The company has collaborated with institutions such as the Kennedy Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, and Lincoln Center, and has engaged with artists from the networks of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Trisha Brown Company, Philadanco, and Dance Theatre of Harlem to develop repertory that bridges community practice and concert stages. Through its touring, residencies, and educational programs the company has linked to festivals like the Spoleto Festival USA, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and the Jacob's Pillow Contemporary Program while partnering with funders and organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

History

Founded in 1984 by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar after studies at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and work with artists from Glen Velez to Martha Graham affiliates, the company emerged from Brooklyn's 1980s arts scene alongside companies such as Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and Garth Fagan Dance. Early seasons included performances at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery, collaborations with community organizations like El Museo del Barrio and touring through venues such as The Public Theater and The Kitchen. In the 1990s the group expanded programs to include community-based projects and international tours to countries represented in festivals like Festival d'Avignon and partnerships with ensembles from South Africa and Brazil. Leadership transitions and institutional affiliations in the 2000s connected the company to academic programs at New York University, artist residencies at Djerassi Resident Artists Program, and archives at repositories like the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Artistic Vision and Style

The company's choreography synthesizes techniques from Graham technique, Horton technique, African diasporic movement vocabularies, and contemporary improvisation practices cultivated in networks that include Katherine Dunham legacies and practitioners associated with Gaga (movement language). The aesthetic foregrounds collective storytelling, bodily testimony, and community voice, drawing formal influence from works presented at venues such as Dance Theatre Workshop and festivals like Jacob's Pillow. Rehearsal processes integrate somatic practices linked to teachers from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater alumni and improvisers connected to the postmodern scenes of Merce Cunningham and Yvonne Rainer. Musically, scores have incorporated collaborations with composers and sound artists affiliated with Ntozake Shange productions, jazz artists from the Village Vanguard circuit, and musicians associated with Sun Ra Arkestra style collectives.

Major Works and Performances

Signature repertory includes works conceived and premiered under Zollar's direction such as solos and ensembles presented in programs at Lincoln Center Festival and tours to Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The company has premiered evening-length pieces and site-specific projects commissioned by institutions including Kennedy Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Spoleto Festival USA, and international presenters at Sadler's Wells. Collaborations with choreographers and artists from companies like Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, Eiko & Koma, Béjart Ballet Lausanne artists, and guest musicians from the Village Vanguard have generated repertory shown on stages ranging from the Joyce Theater to the Apollo Theater. The troupe's performance history includes televised and recorded presentations through partnerships with producers from PBS, BBC Arts, and festival media teams at Jacob's Pillow.

Community Engagement and Education

Community initiatives have connected the company with neighborhood organizations such as The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Brooklyn Children's Museum, and public school systems in collaboration with local chapters of Young Audiences Arts for Learning USA. Education programs have included residencies at universities like CUNY, workshops in partnership with National Dance Institute, and mentoring exchanges linked to the New Victory Theater and afterschool programs supported by the NEA. Outreach strategies draw on frameworks similar to programs run by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater education divisions, and have fostered leadership pipelines through fellowships modeled after initiatives at the Ford Foundation and Mellon Foundation.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

The organization was led for decades by founder Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, whose role as artistic director established governance practices aligned with nonprofit structures used by companies such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Merce Cunningham Trust. Its board and executive teams have included arts administrators and funders connected to institutions like the National Endowment for the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, and university arts departments at New York University and Columbia University. Administrative models have encompassed development, producing, education, and touring departments, and the company has participated in fellowship programs administered by entities such as the Rockefeller Foundation and MacArthur Foundation networks.

Awards and Recognition

The ensemble and its leadership have received awards and honors comparable to accolades granted by the MacArthur Fellows Program, the Kennedy Center Honors, the Bessie Awards (New York Dance and Performance Awards), and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. Individual recognitions for company members and affiliates include fellowships and prizes administered by the Guggenheim Foundation, the Princess Grace Foundation, and awards associated with the American Dance Festival.

Impact and Legacy

The company's legacy is seen in its influence on contemporary choreography, community arts practice, and training models adopted by institutions like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, academic programs at New York University and CUNY, and festivals such as Jacob's Pillow and Spoleto Festival USA. Its intersectional approach to race, gender, and diaspora narratives has informed scholarship and programming at archives and research centers including the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and curricula in departments at Howard University and Rutgers University. Alumni have gone on to lead companies, teach in conservatories connected to Juilliard School and The Ailey School, and create projects commissioned by presenters like Brooklyn Academy of Music and Lincoln Center.

Category:Dance companies in the United States