Penn Live Arts Blog / Tagged / Accelerator Program

Making American Street Dancer

Posted May 13, 2025

Accelerator Program



"Thrilling, educational and unexpectedly moving. Commissioned as part of [Rennie] Harris’ three-year residency with Penn Live Arts, American Street Dancer celebrates vibrant and varied traditions of community music and dance.” The Philadelphia Inquirer

Take a look behind the scenes at the development of American Street Dancer, the smash success by our artist-in-residence, Rennie Harris, that had its world premiere in March 2025. In this video, Harris and Christopher Gruits, our Executive & Artistic Director, share more about this multi-year residency and ongoing partnership. Plus, hear from Harris and his collaborators as they reflect on the cultural legacy of community dance styles across the country and offer insight into the creative process behind the powerful piece. Read more...

Program Spotlight: Accelerator Program

Posted March 18, 2025

Accelerator Program

Our Accelerator Program, which formalizes a significant investment in our artists and their future, began formally in the 22/23 season as an outgrowth of our longstanding commitment to new work. Since opening our doors in 1971, our programming has always filled an important niche, and we have played an instrumental role in bringing eclectic works to our stages. Read more...

Education & Engagement with the Negro Ensemble Company

Posted February 18, 2025

Accelerator Program

The Negro Ensemble Company returned to Penn Live Arts the first week in February with a revival of Day of Absence, a biting work of satire by Douglas Turner Ward, one of the company’s founders. Day of Absence imagines a day in a southern U.S. town in which all the Black residents disappear, launching a panic predicated on invisible labor, dependence, and the boundaries of white identity. Read more...

The Crossing @ Christmas: Thoughts from the conductor

Posted November 30, 2022

Accelerator Program

I remember the first time I encountered Percy Shelley’s “Ozymandias,” with its chilling reference to the ephemerality of civilizations. 

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
Read more...