Borrowed Light

Back in 1994 I made a CD with the Boston Camerata called “Simple Gifts” in an original Shaker Meeting House at Sabbathday Lake, Maine, wth the last remaining Shakers. The result was powerful and the CD became a bestseller. Later, the songs we recorded would be incorporated into a piece with modern dance. Although I sang on the original recording, I never performed the piece with dance, until now. I’m looking forwar to it!

In collaboration with the Tero Saarinen Company (TSC), Borrowed Light captures the ritualistic essence of dance and the profound strength of community. Inspired by the radical Shaker movement of the 1700s and 1800s, the work explores total surrender and devotion to a community. The live performance of original Shaker hymns by The Boston Camerata fills the space with ethereal harmonies that echo through the repetitive rituals of the movement. Collective identity can carry towards something greater, but at what point do its rigid values push the individual to the very limits of their devotion?