Seventh Blog

            In my opinion, getting the opportunity to watch the Urban Bush Women pieces was very cool.  Each piece told a story, which I found to be very interesting.  Each one was very different, but a lot of them related to each other. 

            The first video I watched was “Walking with Pearls- Southern Diaries.”  I found that many different dances were happening at once and each women played a different role in the entire piece.  All of the women were wearing the same color, which I thought was interesting because in the second video, “Walking with Pearls- African Diaries,” the women are in all different colors but doing a dance in unison, for the majority of the piece.  In “Walking with Pearls- Southern Diaries” a lot of stomping was involved.  In my opinion, it made the piece seem more powerful.  The next video I watched was “Cool, Baby Cool.”  The overall tone was much lighter because of the music that was being played.  The audience’s reactions were also light, there was a lot of laughter throughout the performance.  The Urban Bush Women piece, “Girlfriends,” was very different from the rest.  There was less dancing going on and there was no music or singing in the background.  Although each performance may be different, they all come together in a sense that they tell a story.

            After viewing these videos, I read “Memory Walking with Urban Bush Women’s Batty Moves.” I had searched “Batty Moves” on YouTube to watch the performance and I didn’t realize how precise everything was until I read the article on it.  A cymbal began the performance, which signaled the dancers to perform their movements.  A specific rhythmic break ended the first episode, but at the same cued the next section.  Each performer was able to share their own personal voice and movement, which I thought was very interesting and nice.  I knew that a story was related to each piece, but for them to be able to share it with the audience in a clear manor is even more engaging.  Caroline Garcia, one of the dancers, mentioned that they are able to just be themselves.  In addition, they reflect on memories of theirs, such as memories of ballet and modern dance classes when they were younger. 

            I feel that many people can relate to the style of dancing performed by the Urban Bush Women.  Ama Oforiwaa Aduonum, the author of “Memory Walking with Urban Bush Women’s Batty Moves” was inspired to read and learn about African American history and culture from slavery to present and about African American women’s issues and concerns after watching this piece.  I think that any women in history or in present time can relate to certain issues that are reflected in “Batty Moves.”  Even if one’s memories aren’t pleasant, it is amazing to see that they have a voice and are able to present their memories in expressive way.