Sacra Conversazione

A community encountering violent death passes through feelings of grief and anger. They struggle to retain their unity and come to terms with their own mortality. Surely it is against the dark background of death that our small flame of existence appears the most brilliant.

In 2002, Dance Collection Danse Magazine gathered a panel—Michael Crabb, Jeanne Renaud, Cathy Levy and Max Wyman—to consider the ten top Canadian choreographic masterworks of the 20th century, works which “advance the art itself” and trigger the audience’s emotion, intellect and imagination. Sacra Conversazione was chosen as one of the ten.

“...As the music implores of the heavens, so do the bodies. As grief sounds through the notes, the bodies move as if pained beyond endurance. And as the music swells, the dancers sway to and fro...that magical uplifting, overpowering moment when dance and music become one and the soul quenches its insatiable thirst.” Janet Martineau, The Saginaw News (Michigan)

“When Sacra was performed in Mexico and Venezuela, men from the audience came backstage in tears. The piece was all about community and going through tragedies and coming out the other side, a concept that they deeply understood. We were the first North American dance company to perform in Poland after the Berlin wall came down. We did fourteen curtain calls each night.” David Earle

This year's Summer School will be an opportunity for professional dancers to learn sections from Sacra Conversazione.