Building upon a repertoire of bold, life-affirming dance works, Urban Bush Women celebrates its 40^th anniversary with the west coast premiere of SCAT!... The Complex Lives of Al & Dot, Dot & Al Zollar, a new dance-driven jazz club spectacular that tells the story of two people on a journey from the Great Migration to Kansas City. Urban Bush Women founderJawole Willa Jo Zollar grew up performing in floor shows in Black neighborhoods in a segregated Kansas City in the mid-20^th century post-World War II—an era when Black businesses were booming, and there was great hope of upward mobility. Performed with a live band on stage and set to an original jazz score by Craig Harris, SCAT! tells of the powerful journey of the Zollar family and what happens when dreams encounter the harsh realities of American life in the 1940s.

In Zollar’s words, “SCAT!... The Complex Lives of Al & Dot, Dot & Al Zollar is modeled after the structure and content of the great tradition of the Black floor show, which included comic MCs like Moms Mabley and Pigmeat Markham, flash acts such as the Nicholas Brothers or the Crackerjacks, eccentric dancers like Earl “Snakehips” Tucker, storytelling orators, kiddie acts, striptease/exotic dancers à la Josephine Baker or Sahji, and the Shim Sham Shimmy—a traditional tap dance finale.” Urban Bush Women promotes artistic legacies, projects the voices of the underheard and people of color and addresses issues of equity in the dance field and beyond, under the artistic direction of Chanon Judson and Mame Diarra Speis.

Presented in association with Center Theatre Group