Harlem Stage Co-Presents Urban Bush Women’s "Haint Blu" at E-MOVES
Company:
Urban Bush Women
URBAN BUSH WOMEN’S HAINT BLU TO BE PRESENTED AS PART OF HARLEM STAGE’S STAR-STUDDED 40TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON E-MOVES DANCE SERIES, JANUARY 11-13, 2024
A Groundbreaking Dance Theater Company and a Vital Harlem-Based Performing Arts Institution Join Forces as Each Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary
Harlem Stage announced today that it will co-present Urban Bush Women’s latest work, Haint Blu, from January 11 - 13, 2024, at the historic Harlem Stage Gatehouse (150 Convent Avenue, New York, NY) as part of Harlem Stage’s signature dance series, E-Moves. Harlem Stage is led by Patricia Cruz, Artistic Director and CEO. UBW’s leadership team is headed by Chanon Judson and Mame Diarra Samantha Speis, Artistic Directors; Tahnia Belle, Acting Executive Director; and Jonathan D. Secor, Producer.
Haint Blu is an ensemble dance-theater work steeped in memory and magic. Named after the color that Southern families paint their front porches to ward off bad spirits, the work uses performance as a source of healing, taking us from movement into stillness and rest. An embodied look into familial and ancestral lines, Haint Blu reflects on what has been lost across generations and what can be restored, with spirits sharing their legacies and leaving the thick residue of their knowing behind. The work made its world premiere in January 2023 at the André Callioux Center for Performing Arts and Cultural Justice in New Orleans, and enjoyed a sold-out run that June at St. Mary's Church in Harlem.
Conceived, created, choreographed, and directed by UBW co-artistic directors Chanon Judson & Mame Diarra Speis with the UBW company, Haint Blu will be performed at Harlem Stage by Courtney J. Cook, Kentoria Earle, Roobi Gaskins, Symara Johnson, Bianca Leticia Medina, Mikaila Ware, and Nia Witherspoon. The creative team includes Hao Bai (lighting design), Luisa Buitrago and James Lanius III (Production Managers), Lori Gassie (costume designer), Nicholas Hussong (production designer, assistant director), Grace Galu Kalambay (composer, musician), Nina Angela Mercer (author), Jamal Peoples (guest musician), Everett Saunders (sound designer), Shirazette Tinnin (composer), Arianne Zager (costume designer), Talvin Wilks (dramaturg), and Tuce Yasak (original lighting designer).
Patricia Cruz, Harlem Stage Artistic Director and CEO, said, “The performance of Haint Blu by Urban Bush Women during the year in which we are both celebrating our 40th anniversaries is the realization of a dream. Our admiration of the work of this company has been long-standing, and there is symmetry in the timing of this collaboration.”
“It is a joy to bring Haint Blu back to Harlem, and is so fitting to do so at Harlem Stage,” said Chanon Jusdon, UBW Co-Artistic Director. “As Harlem Stage and Urban Bush Women celebrate our 40th anniversaries, we also salute years of collaboration. Harlem Stage has been a home to Urban Bush Women and so many of our community members. As we embark on 40 more years, it is a pleasure to further our relationship with the work of UBW's new artistic leadership.”
As Harlem Stage celebrates its 40th anniversary, E-Moves, the organization’s flagship dance series, is also celebrating its own 25th anniversary. Known for showcasing dance artists across the spectrum of their careers, E-Moves presents artists who have been critical to the legacy of the institution’s dance programming and who serve as inspiration for the future of dance. Urban Bush Women has staged several works at the Gatehouse, including Resistance and Power, and /Visible, both in 2011. Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE kicked off the dance series in October (13 & 14, 2023) presenting four riveting works including a reprisal of Palo y Machete, originally performed for Harlem Stage in 1998 and specifically chosen to honor the 40th anniversary. Later this season, Harlem Stage will welcome back choreographer Bill T. Jones to present a dynamic program of works, including an intervention, revisiting and reflecting on Degga (1995)—a performance that was created through a legendary collaboration between Jones, Max Roach, and Toni Morrison—as well as a piece from an emerging artist he will select (April 19 & 20, 2024). nora chipaumire—whose revolutionary dance performance has enlivened Harlem Stage on numerous occasions—presents an immersive performance installation that turns into a dance party, ShebeenDUB, featuring designs from celebrated artists Ari Marcopoulos and Kara Walker, and constructed by Matt Jackson Studio (May 17 & 18, 2024). Camille A. Brown, who has a long and rich history of performing work at Harlem Stage, will present a new work of her own, and curates works by dancers/choreographers who have contributed to her growing body of creations—Chloe Davis, Juel D. Lane, Mayte Natalio, Rickey Tripp, and Maleek Washington (June 14 & 15, 2024).
Performance Schedule (with Links to Buy Tickets)
Thursday, January 11, 2024 at 7:30pm ET
Friday, January 12, 2024 at 7:30pm ET
Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 7:30pm ET
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