Urban Bush Women Explore the Spirits of the Historic Hampton House in Site Specific Performance Haint Blu
Miami, Feb. 24, 2022 – Live Arts Miami presents the world premiere of Urban Bush Women’s (UBW) latest dance-theater work, Haint Blu in Miami featuring an immersive audience experience at the Historic Hampton House, March 9 – 12.
The culmination of a multi-year project commissioned by Live Arts Miami, Haint Blu honors local Black history, recalling the movements, magic, and stories of the Brownsville community using performance as a center and source of healing.
“It has been thrilling to create a site-specific performance with Urban Bush Women in Miami, one that is tailored to this incredibly historic space which speaks directly to the Black experience in our community,” said Kathryn Garcia, Live Arts Miami’s executive director. “Audiences can expect a magical evening with surprises around every corner.”
Featuring the iconic Urban Bush Women Ensemble, along with a prestigious team of visual artists, designers, musicians and writers, as well as the inclusion of Miami based artists and movers, Haint Blu provides an immersive and interactive experience. The performers will activate various spaces within the Historic Hampton House, once the “Social Center for the South” and a hotspot for black luminaries such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Sammy Davis Jr., Duke Ellington, Nancy Wilson, Louis Armstrong, LaVern Baker, Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali.
“Haint Blu aims to take audiences through movement into stillness and rest: remembering, reclaiming, releasing, and restoring,” said Mame Diarra Speis, UBW co-artistic director. “The Hampton House is particularly important as it contains many histories and stories of Miami’s Black community. It is important to be in conversation with those stories and to honor the safe haven the place has been for many people over time.”
UBW’s socially relevant work lifts the perspectives of stories not necessarily told to mainstream audiences. Honoring and absorbing local history, each Haint Blu performance is a container of moments that are unique to each community.
“The Hampton House is a valuable piece of Miami’s history, and it’s the only segregated hotel of that era still standing,” said Jacqui Colyer, the Historic Hampton House’s Executive Director. “We are honored to have the world-renowned Urban Bush Women activate our space with this singular work of art.”
Learn more about the artists at www.liveartsmiami.org. Click here for photos and videos.
WHAT: World Premiere of Haint Blu by Urban Bush Women
WHEN: Thursday through Saturday, March 9 – March 11, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Historic Hampton House
4240 NW 27th Avenue, Room 3010
TICKETS: $30 available at https://liveartsmiami.org/events/haint-blu-by-urban-bush-women/
ABOUT LIVE ARTS MIAMI
Live Arts Miami is one of the city’s oldest and boldest performing arts series: an action-driven, people-centered platform for powerful performances, impactful community programs, and learning experiences that spark dialogue, raise awareness around pressing issues, and open minds and hearts in all who take part. Created in 1990 as Cultura del Lobo, Live Arts Miami is proud to be a part of Miami Dade College’s celebrated Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information, please visit www.liveartsmiami.org and follow @liveartsmiami on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
The programs of Live Arts Miami are funded by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council; the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; the National Endowment for the Arts; South Arts; National Performance Network (NPN); the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. In addition, Live Arts Miami is a National Performance Network (NPN) partner. Major NPN contributors include the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
ABOUT URBAN BUSH WOMEN
Named one of America’s Cultural Treasures by the Ford Foundation and soon celebrating its 40th year, UBW’s reputation has been well earned through decades of groundbreaking work. UBW galvanizes artists, activists, audiences, and communities through performances, artist development, education, and community engagement. UBW also enriches the overall ecology of the arts by promoting artistic legacies; projecting the voices of the under-heard and people of color; highlighting and addressing issues of equity in the dance field and beyond throughout the United States; and providing platforms for culturally and socially relevant experimental art makers. For more information, visit www.urbanbushwomen.org
ABOUT THE HISTORIC HAMPTON HOUSE
Once described as the “Jewel of Black Miami,” The Hampton House was the place to see and be seen in Miami’s Black community during the Segregation era. It was a center of local and national political, civic, and cultural activity. The Hampton House eventually closed in 1976 over time was threatened with demolition, but thanks to the efforts of the preservationist Dr. Enid Pinkney, it was declared a protected historical sight in 2002 and was eventually purchased and restored by the county. The Historic Hampton House now functions as a museum and community center and is a valuable piece of Miami’s Black history. For more information, please visit www.historichamptonhouse.org
Live Arts Miami Media Contact: Yvette Harris, yvette@harrispublicrelations.com.