U B W INC A/K/A URBAN BUSH WOMEN INC

ACROSS FY24, UBW CONTINUED TO IMPLEMENT AND STRENGTHEN OUR EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS IN SUPPORT OF UNDER-RESOURCED ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES OF COLOR. BUILDERS, ORGANIZERS, AND LEADERS IN DANCE (BOLD) WORKSHOPS ARE LED BY UBW STAFF AND A ROSTER OF TRAINED ARTIST-FACILITATORS. IN FY24, BOLD REACHED APPROXIMATELY 2,000 PARTICIPANTS ACROSS 65+ WORKSHOPS WITH 16 ORGANIZATIONS. BOLD OFFERINGS WERE CONSOLIDATED INTO 4 CORE WORKSHOPS: 1) DANCE FOR EVERY BODY, EMBRACING EACH INDIVIDUAL'S UNIQUE AND POWERFUL CONTRIBUTION; 2) MINDFUL BODIES & REFLECTIVE PRACTICES, FOCUSING ON SELF-CARE, REJUVENATION, AND (RE-)CONSTRUCTING HEALTHFUL IMAGES OF OURSELVES AND OUR COMMUNITIES; 3) ENTERING, BUILDING, AND EXITING COMMUNITY (EBX), ROOTED IN UBW'S VALUE-CENTERED APPROACH FOR WORK IN COMMUNITIES; AND 4) COLLABORATION LAB, FACILITATING ARTISTIC CREATION BASED ON THEMES THAT EMERGE FROM THE GROUP. EACH WORKSHOP IS LED BY ONE OR MORE TRAINED ARTIST FACILITATORS, INCLUDING UBW COMPANY MEMBERS. WORKSHOP SIZE, DURATION, AND FEES ARE BASED ON THE NEEDS OF THE GROUP.UBW CONCLUDED THE PILOT OF THE CHOREOGRAPHIC CENTER INITIATIVE'S NEW ARM FOCUSING ON WOMEN+ OF COLOR CREATIVE PRODUCERS (CCI 2.0). THE PILOT PROVIDED UBW WITH INVALUABLE LEARNINGS ABOUT HOW THE PROGRAM CAN BEST SUPPORT THESE ARTISTS, AND SUPPORTED THE DEVELOPMENT OF RELATED NEAR-TERM INITIATIVES, SUCH AS 'WHEN BLACK WOMEN+ SPEAK,' A 40TH ANNIVERSARY CONVERSATION SERIES CONVENING WOMEN+ OF COLOR LEADERS TO EXPLORE THE NUANCES OF IDENTITY, COMMUNITY, VALUES, SUPPORT, AND SUCCESS AMONG BIPOC WOMEN+ PRODUCERS. ON MAY 8, 2024, BAM HOSTED THE INAUGURAL CONVERSATION, FOLLOWED BY THE SECOND EVENT AT LINCOLN CENTER ON JULY 31, 2024. FINALLY, WE COMPLETED THE THIRD AND FINAL YEAR OF OUR EXPANDED, THREE-YEAR PAID UBW APPRENTICE PROGRAM WITH SUPPORT FROM THE NEW YORK COMMUNITY TRUST'S VAN LIER FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. THE PROGRAM, LED BY CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR CHANON JUDSON AND ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR COURTNEY J. COOK, PROVIDED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ARTISTIC TRAINING FOR SIX YOUNG BLACK WOMEN+ DANCERS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. SIX YOUNG ARTISTS PARTICIPATED AS APPRENTICES DURING FY24. THIS FINAL YEAR OF AN EXTENDED 3-YEAR PROGRAM CULMINATED WITH AN INFORMAL SHOWCASE ON SEPT 28 IN BROOKLYN FEATURING CURRENT AND PAST APPRENTICES. TWO OF THESE APPRENTICES HAVE SINCE JOINED THE UBW COMPANY AND OTHERS HAVE BEEN ENGAGED AS BOLD FACILITATORS-IN-TRAINING, PERFORMER SUBSTITUTES, AND MORE.FINALLY, THE UBW ARCHIVE WAS LAUNCHED IN 2021 TO PRESERVE UBW'S FOUR DECADES AS AN UNPARALLELED BLACK DANCE COMPANY. THIS PROJECT IS CRUCIAL TO DOCUMENTING, IMPLEMENTING, AND INNOVATING EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT WORK. THE UBW ARCHIVE FEATURES THE VOICES OF THE BLACK WOMEN+ ARTISTS, MEMBERS OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA, AND COUNTLESS COMMUNITIES WHO HAVE SHAPED UBW'S GROUNDBREAKING FUSION OF AFRICAN DIASPORIC CULTURAL PRACTICES WITH MODERN DANCE AND AUTHENTIC COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS 40 YEARS. DURING FY24, UBW CONTINUED TO DIGITIZE AND CATALOG ARCHIVAL MATERIALS AND BEGAN BUILDING A PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE ONLINE PORTAL TO BE ACTIVATED DURING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY, PROVIDING AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE TO DANCERS, CHOREOGRAPHERS, STUDENTS, SCHOLARS, AND MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC SEEKING TO LEARN FROM UBW'S BODY OF WORK.