Sarah Bush Dance Project (SBDP) is an Oakland California-based contemporary dance company. Formed in 2007, SBDP promotes innovative artistry, community interaction and feminist ideals through the creation and presentation of multimedia dance, as interpreted by the artistic work and vision of Sarah Bush. Our core values are: Feminism, Diversity, Excellence, Authenticity, Accessibility, Empowerment, Versatility, and Innovation.
Sarah Bush Dance Project’s Spirit & Bones premiered in 2018 with an intergenerational cast of 15 dancers ranging in age from 23 to over 70. Featuring Bay Area dance luminaries, Spirit & Bones highlights female resilience in times of darkness, the tenacity of the solo woman, and the ferocious love and strength generated by community.
Spirit & Bones is an inter-generational dance performance with live music by an inter-generational all-star band!
Spirit & Bones is inspired by Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ book Women Who Run with the Wolves, national large-scale protests, and the movement of wolves, birds and systems of the body. Artistic Director Sarah Bush explains, “Spirit & Bones will show the multidimensionality of women, illuminating the many stages of grace and strength.”
“Spirit & Bones is a call to action, a call to join together and build loving community,” explains Sarah Bush. “The large cast demonstrates the power in numbers required for social change. The work also honors the women who have inspired and taught us. It is an opportunity to reflect on how we carry their legacies forward.”
Dance makers want to reflect the zeitgeist their productions. But every so often the planets align, and a long-planned work ends up tapping the cultural climate so aptly that it doubles as a rallying cry.”
– Claudia Bauer, SF Chronicle
Performers & Collaborators:
Conceived, Produced & Directed by Sarah Bush
Assistant Director – Rose Huey
Choreography – Sarah Bush in collaboration with Rose Huey and cast
Composer / Musical Director – Vicki Randle
Lighting Design – Patty-Ann Farrell
Costume Design – Krystal Harfert
Scenic Design – Katarzyna Krzykawska-Apolinarski
in collaboration with Christiane Michaela Vincent
Video Design – Sarah Bush
Original Art Work – Nina Wu
Sound Design – Denise Woodward
Head Electrician – KC Cohen
Musicians SKIP THE NEEDLE
Kofy Brown, Katie Cash, Shelley Doty,
Vicki Randle, Julie Wolf
Dancers Anne Bluethenthal, Richelle Donigan,
Laura Elaine Ellis, Joanna Haigood,
Dominique Hargrove, Courtney Hope,
Rebecca Johnson, Courtney King,
Joan Lazarus, Sue Li Jue, Elvia Marta,
Priscilla Regalado, Jane Schnorrenberg,
Frances Sedayao, Nina Wu