Movements Rooted in Ritual Urban Bush Women Combine Folklore and Social Issues

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FRAMED by a row of flickering candles, the seven dancers that make up Urban Bush Women sit in various positions on the stage, singing and chanting rhythmically about Zion. Soon their slow trancelike movements gather energy, as the drums of the accompanying percussionist beat faster. Toward the end of the work several of the dancers act like firecrackers - their limbs seem to explode in every direction as they are overcome by the "spirit."

"Nyabinghi Dreamtime," which combines movement and chant from the Nyabinghi rural Rastafarian tradition in Jamaica, is a good introduction to a company whose name is as intriguing as its dance. It was the first of five works performed at …