First Works to Present New England Premiere WALKING WITH 'TRANE

The FirstWorks Artistic Icon Series continues with "Walking with 'Trane," a new live music/dance event created by the electrifying, Brooklyn-based Urban Bush Women dance troupe in tribute to the life of legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane and his seminal jazz suite, "A Love Supreme." Urban Bush Women created the work to celebrate two important anniversaries-50 years since the revelatory "A Love Supreme" album and 30 years since the founding of Urban Bush Women. "Walking with 'Trane" premieres in Rhode Island on Saturday, February 27, 8 p.m. at The Vets in downtown Providence. Doors will open at 7 p.m. for JumpStart festivities in the venue lobbies. Tickets are on sale now at 401-421-ARTS (2787) and at first-works.org.

Set to a Coltrane-inspired score that features Grammy Award-winning pianist George Caldwell, "Walking with 'Trane" premiered in December at the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Festival, where it was considered one of the most important works of the season. Informed by the unpredictability of the bandstand-the risky place that can take musicians into a transcendent state-this ethereal investigation fuses Urban Bush Women's inventive movement with Coltrane's evolutionary, post-bop spirit that has audiences erupting with "an audible gasp of joy" (Brooklyn Magazine).

Urban Bush Women was founded by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar in 1984 when it burst onto the scene as the first major all-female African American dance company. Hailed as an "unstoppable force in American dance", Urban Bush Women's powerful moves shake theaters and inspire communities, as they showcase the energy, vitality and boldness of the African American community.

"FirstWorks is delighted to continue the Artistic Icons Series with a nod to two greats: Urban Bush Women and John Coltrane," said Kathleen Pletcher, Executive Artistic Director, FirstWorks. "The evening and 'Walking with 'Trane' promise to leave an indelible mark. We are thrilled to connect Rhode Island audiences with this company both in the theatre and in the community as part of a multi-month residency with Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and the Urban Bush Women."

Leading up to the mainstage performance, guests can get into the spirit of Urban Bush Women with a full month of events during their residency in Providence this February. Ranging from hands-on workshops to humanities panels, residency highlights will include "Dance for Every Body" workshops; "Walking the Talk: Black Dance and Social Justice" with Tommy DeFrantz and UBW Founder Jawole Willa Jo Zollar; and "How We Got To The Funk," a social dance event led by Zollar. For a full listing of the residency events please visit first-works.org/events/workshops-conversations.

Tickets for Urban Bush Women's "Walking with 'Trane" start at $38 and are available now online at first-works.org and at the Vets Box Office: 401-421-ARTS (2787).

Special offers include a $75 "Premium Experience" ticket, which includes the best seats plus complimentary admission to your choice of a morning-after Jazz Brunch with Urban Bush Women on Sunday, February 28, or their studio performance of "dark swan" at South Side Cultural Center on Wednesday, February 24.

FirstWorks' Art Activating Community: Urban Bush Women in RI is made possible with lead support from Dance USA/The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, Brown University Creative Arts Council, RISD CSI, Carter Family Charitable Trust, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Project is presented as a Widening the Circle initiative, a partnership with the American Dance Legacy Initiative and Rites and Reason Theatre, with support from Brown's Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies. Additional partners include Artists and Scientists as Partners and The Rhythm of Change Festival.

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