Music, dancing and elaborate and colorful costumes invaded the Union Theater Friday night with a performance by the Urban Bush Women.
The Urban Bush Women, a group based in the New York-New Jersey area, produce collaborations between U.S. and African artists. Jawole Willa Jo Zollar created the company, which uses the cultural imagery of Africa to reflect society as a whole.
The group came to campus for the production “Shadow’s Child,” which follows a young girl who moves from her home in Mozambique to Tallahassee, Fla., with her parents.
A group of girls in Tallahassee teases the young Xiomara for being different until she finds herself alone in the forest one night.
In the forest, she meets another outcast named Blue and together they discover the creatures of the night. Xiomara is reminded of her heritage in Africa.
Interpretive and high-energy dance and rhythm made up most of the show and kept the audience entertained and awestruck.
“These performers have an amazing talent,” said Heather Williams, a business and e-marketing freshman. “The drums, rhythm and choreography moved well to match the music.”
Williams said she enjoyed the show because it brought a different type of performance to the community.
In the opening scene, female performers took the stage as African merchants trying to sell baskets of fruits to the audience. Soon the performers were dancing across the stage and demonstrating a Mozambican style of jumping rope called N’Sope.
“The show made me want to go home and dance in front of the mirror,” said Maia Youngbrandt, an English senior.
Youngbrandt said the Urban Bush Women’s performance refreshed her because it provided a style of cultural dance few people in Baton Rouge understand.
For a later scene set in a dark forest at night, performers wore elaborate costumes. The costumes were in the shape of birds with long wingspans, butterflies, alligators and a praying mantis that seemed to tower over the audience.
“I really enjoyed all the use of strong visuals in the show,” said John Witworth, a communication studies senior.
The cultural threads and artistry of the performance have a positive effect on campus because they open up a new world to students, Witworth said.
Mass communication sophomore Christy Zeringue said she enjoyed the show and its moral story line.
“There is a lot of African heritage in the community that a lot of people don’t know about,” Zeringue said.
Rhythym explosion
November 18, 2002