" ... a truly original and powerful work"

July 19, 2006 performance, reviewed by Connell McGrath

Tero Saarinen Company from Finland performed their US premier of "Borrowed Light," a powerful 2004 work for eight dancers and seven singers, at Jacob's Pillow. This is probably the high point of the Pillow's 74th season; it's the most important dance performance of the summer. Saarinen's main source of inspiration for "Borrowed Light" is the Shakers, which makes its performance at the Pillow in the Berkshires that much more appropriate. At one point there were seven thriving Shaker communities in this area. He says about this work: "this piece is not about Shakerism. It is about community and devotion. To me the nature of total commitment - whether religious, artistic or political - is fundamentally the same." He collaborated with Joel Cohen of the Boston Camerata on "Borrowed Light" and the result is the most integrated live music and dance performance I've ever seen.

A few staging details are worth noting about "Borrowed Light." The stage is "enclosed" with the stage's wings blocked by curtains or the set. The singers and dancers stay onstage for the whole piece (about 90 minutes). The lighting is somewhat overdramatic; lots of sidelighting with stage smoke and columns of light through which singers and dancers move. Fortunately, the dance isn't dramatic or overly emotional and this keeps the piece from descending into melodrama. Lighting and set design are by Mikki Kunttu. The singers and the stage itself are amplified. This is well done and not very noticeable. By amplifying the stage the dancers more forceful movement becomes percussive and when they stomp in a group it sends up a kind low-level hum, probably feedback, but a powerful effect.

"Borrowed Light" begins with the performers sitting around the edge of the stage with a single female dancer front and center, dragging her foot slowly along behind her as she makes a labored traverse toward the edge. This looks just like a scene from "Night of the Living Dead;" it's not pretty and certainly doesn't invite the audience in. This goes on for quite a while, probably a whole two minutes, and other dancers join her in this zombie dance. I'm going to resist the temptation to put meaning on this or any other part of the dance. Of course, with Saarinen's statement about the work, this would be easy to do. The most important thing about the zombie opening is that it pushes the audience away, and I suspect this was intentional. Among other things, it says "we're not doing a beautiful, serene, harmonious work about communing together with God". The zombie dance gradually comes to an end with the singing of the first Shaker hymn by a soprano voice. The contrast between the ugliness of the dance and the absolute beauty of the singing is striking and continues throughout the piece.

Mr. Cohen and the Boston Camerata do a tremendous job rendering these songs for the piece. Many of the songs are little-known and two may not have been heard outside the Shaker community before, according to Cohen's liner notes. The songs are performed in a straightforward style with occasional though subtle forays into harmony. The singers' voices are amplified just enough to give the audience all of their nuances. The singers move around the stage, at times participating in some of the simpler movements with the dancers. This integration of the singers and dancers seems neither forced nor unnatural. Saarinen has managed to bring both groups of performers together in a meaningful and seamless way. I think my only complaint vis-à-vis the music is that they use "Simple Gifts" (a.k.a. "A Gift to Be Simple"), perhaps the second-most beautiful piece of music to be overplayed and overused after Pacelbel's Canon in D major. This criticism is overshadowed by the beauty of the rendering of the song for a single soprano voice, and by the great inspiration of the choreography for this part of the work.

Saarinen's choreography does not match the song which is always beautiful, melodious, simple and deeply spiritual. He seems at pains to NOT make a Shaker dance, and NOT to dance to the music in any literal sense. Some aspects can be related to Shakerism. Primarily, men dance with the men and women with the women. Many of the movements could be said to depict labor such as sowing and reaping (but I said I wouldn't go there!). In general, the choreography seems labored, difficult, absent of story-telling emotion. Again, all these things seem intentional. It is also original and excellent. The labored, flat quality of the choreography is regularly, though unexpectedly, relieved by moments of grace and beauty. This is a demanding and, at times, turgid work (at least in terms of the choreography). It is also the most moving piece of spiritual dance I've seen in quite a while.

Saarinen has made a truly original and powerful work in "Borrowed Light." He has brought a new perspective to the Shaker songbook . He also has made a brilliantly integrated piece of dance and live music, with the very significant collaboration of Joel Cohen.

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