Voices of Struggle

With the background of live, rhythmic African drums, the eight-member Urban Bush Women ensemble will use a seamless wave of dance, a cappella vocals and poetry to bring the black woman’s experience to the Vision Complex Main Theater in Leimert Park on Oct. 17.

The New York-based group, formed in 1984, explores African folklore and traditions as well as the everyday lives of black women through various forms. The dances express the struggle and growth of the human spirit and to give voices to the underclass.

Led by its founder and artistic director, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, the troupe incorporates a cappella vocals with stomping, clapping and modern movement through most of their dances.

One dance, “Shelter,” links the plight of homeless women with the devastation of the planet. The dance is narrated with a poem of one woman’s struggle on the street while six women dance collectively and individually across the stage. That piece, choreographed by Zollar in 1988, was recently acquired by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and performed during that group’s tour in Los Angeles last spring.

*

Urban Bush Women, Vision Complex Main Theater, 3341 W. 43rd Place; Oct. 17, 3 p.m.; $15, $10. Information: (213) 291-7321, (213) 296-5717 or (213) 933-0803.