We Shall Not Be Moved

About

We Shall Not Be Moved is an interdisciplinary chamber opera that pushes the boundaries of the genre by integrating spoken word, contemporary dance, and video projection with a score that blends classical, R&B, and jazz idioms. Directed and choreographed by Bill T. Jones, the production is set in contemporary Philadelphia and grapples with the legacy of the 1985 MOVE bombing. The artistic vision focuses on the intersection of race, gender identity, and systemic issues of policing and community. The staging employs a hybrid theatrical language where movement and text are as central to the narrative as the music. Evocative projections and a transformable set turn an abandoned North Philly house into a site where past and present collide. Conceived to stretch expectations of what opera can be, the work serves both as memorial and as contemporary social critique.