Urban Bush Women — Hair & Other Stories

The Pittsburgh Playhouse brings in legendary New York theatre troupe?Urban?Bush?Women to present their original work “Hair & Other Stories,” September 9 – 10 at 7:00 pm. The dance-theatre piece—a reflection on race, identity, and ideas of beauty through the lens of Black women’s hair—kicks off the Playhouse’s 22-23 season, which includes almost 30 works across theatre, dance, music, and spoken word.

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Founded in 1984 by renowned choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar,?Urban?Bush?Women seeks to bring the untold and under-told stories to light through dance. The performance promises to be the first of many exceptional offerings from the Pittsburgh Playhouse this season. Tickets are on sale now, and Downtowner subscribers can save 20% off tickets by using code BTS22 when purchasing online at?www.pittsburghplayhouse.com?or calling the box office at 412.392.8000.

Performance Dates

September 9 - 10, 2022 at 7:00 PM

Location

PNC Theatre

Hair & Other Stories?is a dance-theater work that reflects on race, identity, and ideas of beauty through the lens of Black women’s hair. Using movement, song, and conversation, it explores what constitutes freedom, liberation, and release in our everyday struggles to rise to our Extraordinary Selves in extraordinary times. This is the urgent dialogue of the 21st Century.

Hair & Other Stories?is an interactive experience for non-traditional spaces. Inspired by HairStories (2001) by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar; choreographed and directed by Chanon Judson and Samantha Speis.

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Urban?Bush?Women (UBW) galvanized artists, activists, audiences and communities through performances, artist development, education and community engagement. With the ground-breaking performance ensemble at its core, and ongoing programs including the Summer Leadership Institute (SLI), BOLD (Builders, Organizers & Leaders through Dance) and the Choreographic Center Initiative, UBW affects the overall ecology of the arts by promoting artistic legacies; projecting the voices of the under-heard and people of color; bringing attention to and addressing issues of equity in the dance field and throughout the United States; and by providing platforms and serving as a conduit for culturally and socially relevant experimental art makers.

Founded in 1984 by choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar,?Urban?Bush?Women (UBW) seeks to bring the untold and under-told stories to light through dance. We do this from a woman-centered perspective and as members of the African Diaspora community in order to create a more equitable balance of power in the dance world and beyond.

As UBW celebrates its 37th Anniversary year, we continue to use dance as both the message and the medium to bring together diverse audiences through innovative choreography, community collaboration and artistic leadership development.