The 1992 trip of the UBW to New Orleans, where the company was contracted for performances but in the end was involved in more than 10 educational and community-oriented programs as well, is a good example of this commitment. The engagement involved serious preparation, which included discussion, study, and workshop sessions conducted by Daniel, and resulted in the creation of the community engagement curriculum. The several projects taken on by the UBW during the tour demonstrate the multiple prongs of the program and the numerous issues it addresses. The company worked on the following projects on a daily basis: a sociopolitical commentary wall mural in collaboration with Pieces of Power, a teen visual arts group; a teen mothers program at a public high school; a program for the development of math skills through basketball and movement games with teenagers at the Tambourine and Fan Center; a pregnancy prevention program in collaboration with the Kujichagulia Center, using drumming, dancing, and singing workshops; a literacy workshop at the Community Book Center; cultural and self-development programs in collaboration with And Still I Rise, a welfare rights organization; a program for the collection of oral histories and the development of movement and vocal skills at the Voice from the Deep Puppet Theater; creative thinking and writing-for-radio projects at the community radio station; creative writing, reading, and liberation hip hop projects with writer Kalamu Ya Salaam; and teen programs for the development of critical thinking at the Peoples Institute for Survival and Beyond.

 

Dance is not a luxury for this company; it is an artistic medium and a way of bringing meaning into the lives of its members and others. Zollar's commitment to linking her art to the community is as strong in her work today as when she founded the company. It is a striking feature of her work, because her sharp analytic vision can critically assess the issues at hand and reflect a finely nuanced politics.