Heroes, by John Scott, is a journey of music and movement using the universe of German operatic heroes: Beethoven’s ‘Fidelio’, Wagner’s ‘Die Walkure’ and ‘Siegfried’, Weber’s Der Freischutz. John Scott, through his virtuosic heroic tenor voice, creates a dance physicalisation of music to show two selves, human and mythological. The music portrays heroes battling impossible dark forces and conquering darkness paralleled with the idea of escape and love.
Heroes is framed through interaction with Jonathan Burrows’ collaborator, Matteo Fargion. Heroes was commissioned by Carlow Arts Festival, Ireland and has toured to Racconti di Altre Danze Festival, Livorno, Italy, International Peace Dance Festival, Osnabrück, Germany, Sounded Bodies Festival, Zagreb, 3u Vänigen, Gothenburg, Sweden, studio le regard du cygne, Paris. An extract of Heroes was performed at 92nd St Y’s Irish Dance Festival, 2019. This is the New York premier of the full version of Heroes.
Concept, Choreography and Performance: John Scott
Soundscape: Jassem Hindi
Original lighting: Eric Würtz
Costume: Justine Doswell
Outside eye: Matteo Fargion
Heroes was created with funding from the arts Council of Ireland. Heroes at La MaMa Moves is supported by Irish Arts Center and Oona Doherty’s OD Works and funded by Culture Ireland.
La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival
La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival continues to support La MaMa’s commitment to presenting diverse performance styles that challenge audience’s perception of dance by featuring performance/installations, experimental film screenings & public symposiums which address dance artists’ engagement with the current political climate, as well as honoring diasporic histories and legacy, ancestral inspirations and inter-generational dialogue.