John Scott Dance - Ancestral Movements

John Scott makes his Penn Live Arts debut at the Harold Prince Theatre with the world premiere of Ancestral Movements, a dance-theatre work that comes out of a residency he spent here in Philadelphia. The piece is a collaboration between Scott, an ensemble of professional dancers, and community members—new American citizens and other Philadelphians whose lives have been shaped by migration. Together they've built the work around personal histories, traditions, and the everyday movements that people carry with them.

Scott describes Ancestral Movements as an exploration of identity, resilience, and belonging. The way it's put together weaves those individual stories into a common physical language, and from there it asks how we carry the past and imagine a future together. Because it was co-created with people from the city, the movement on stage comes from the lived experiences of the people in the room rather than just a choreographer's vision.

This whole process—the residency and the world premiere—was made possible through the Penn Live Arts Accelerator Program, which is why Scott spent time working with the community here before bringing the finished piece to the stage. The resulting performance brings together professional dancers and community participants in the same ensemble, so you'll see trained dancers sharing the stage with people who aren't professional performers.

There are two performances: Friday, April 30 at 7:30 PM and Saturday, May 1 at 2 PM, both at the Harold Prince Theatre.