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Urban Bush Women: Hep Hep Sweet Sweet, Dark Swan, & Walking With 'Trane

Urban Bush Women is celebrating 30 years as an unstoppable force in American dance. Jawole Willa Jo Zollar's troupe started out with "raw power and conviction" (Village Voice), and it continues to make visceral, politically-charged work, including the three new pieces they dance at Duke Performances.The culmination of a two-week residency at Duke, their program begins with Hep Hep Sweet Sweet, an earthy and provocative new take on the swing dance and jitterbug of Cab Calloway's jazz age. They follow that with Dark Swan, choreographed by former UBW dancer Nora Chipaumire, which reimagines a classic European ballet in an African context. Finally, they offer the world premiere of Walking with 'Trane, a piece inspired by the life of John Coltrane and by his seminal jazz suite A Love Supreme.Funded, in part, with a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council; a Visiting Artist Grant from the Council for the Arts, Office of the Provost, Duke University; and support from the Dance Program at Duke University.

Contact: Aaron Greenwald