For the conservative tastes of St. Louis, Friday night was an awakening. Ethereal chants echoed and chiffon skirts swirled, celebrating American Indian and Tibetan spiritual traditions in a dance project called Sacred Ground that appeared at the Missouri History Museum. The show was produced by the GASH/VOIGT Dance Theatre of St. Louis, a group dedicated to exploring women’s issues with some rather intriguing original performances.
Sacred Ground was an exceptional experience that was eccentric but not pretentious. The performers and technicians tread that fine line between expression and exaggeration with graceful skill. Yes, the premise sounded a bit artsy: the female perspective of “the body as a place of mystery and a temple of divinity” (as the press release described it). But the GASH/VOIGT interpretation was organic and far from pompous.
In presenting the cultures of American Indians and Tibetans, the show focused on the common emotions and struggles of these people, not the specific details of custom. They had no intention of mimicking their rituals or ceremonies. Instead, the company internalized the native traditions and created their own unique American, female interpretation. The results were stunning.
The performers conveyed once both the passion of these cultures and the universal spirit of humanity. Without understanding anything about American Indians or Tibetans, the audience could still appreciate the intense emotions of fear, wonder and unity that radiated throughout the piece.
The performance was also challenging to watch. Symbolism was thickly layered, from the vibrant tapestries to the choreographed interactions.
The four limber dancers were constantly shifting characters, from solemn priestesses to frolicking children to earthy mothers. Technically, these women were impressive, combining elements of ballet and modern dance into elegant solos and cooperative ensemble work. The eye had to constantly fluttered from one movement to the next trying to take it all in.
The other aspects of the performance were carefully meshed with stylistic dancing. Simple yet vivid costumes were both decoration and prop, as the women shed a layer of fluffy skirts and then donned earth-toned aprons offered by the high-goddess.
This goddess was the vocal soloist who composed and created all the entrancing music, a combination of mesmerizing melodies interspersed with snippets of sound from daily life. The idea of intertwining the dancers with the musician on stage added to the cohesion of the performance, and the live vocals were a rich addition to the recorded music.
The simple set-up of the stage, with colorfully woven mats and a symbolic ladder, was complementary but not distracting. Sacred Ground succeeded in invigorating the senses and captivating the mind with a strong unity of elements
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It was not your typical dance performance at the Fox, but the GASH/VOIGT company surely never intended it to be. The impression after the show was not that this performer or that song or this costume was incredible, but that life itself was incredible. In all its eccentricity, Sacred Ground revealed a glory of women and the peace of spiritual harmony to which all humans can relate.
