By Jessica Lockhart

Homer’s use of ancient myth is used to show that women, like the sea, have been — and will continue to be — the ecological instigators of growth and transformation.

The dancers in Emma Cianchi’s Il Mare Che Ci Unisce. Photo: Becca Marcela Oviatt

Italian choreographer Emma Cianchi brought her world premiere performance of Il Mare Che Ci Unisce to Jacob’s Pillow. The title’s translation: The sea that unites us. Many examples of unification are displayed throughout the dance, in which deep connections are drawn between the sea and femininity. The piece was inspired by the power wielded by a magical figure in the Iliad: the charm Circe and her Sirens cast over Ulysses’ sailors. The four women dancers in the piece are linked: they share a disruptive and mysterious energy as they work closely together with a fierce loyalty. Homer’s use of ancient myth is used to show that women, like the sea, have been — and will continue to be — the ecological instigators of growth and transformation.

The dance is part meditation and part frenzied ritual. The performance begins in silence, as the dancers walk slowly onto the stage. They stop, look out directly at the audience members, and continue to stare intently. Their gaze is intended to mesmerize — to put a spell on us. The gaze does not waiver and it’s haunting. As they move downstage, closer to the audience, they distorted their bodies, locking themselves into crooked, uncomfortable shapes. Their heads drop to the side at strange angles, their torsos arch backwards, bending in unusual ways. Who are these female warriors? Why are they working so hard to be so monstrous? Is this another stereotypical exercise in which women who have mystical powers must appear as witch-like? That beauty is a sign of virtue?

For much of the dance the quartet moved as one, connected to each other by touch or with close-eye contact. The drew considerable power from each other. When one person broke away on their own, their movement was initially luxurious and slow, meant to look soft and gentle. But then, in the next moment, the dancer was flinging herself across the entire stage, propelling themselves at great speed as they made tumbling and thrashing motions with their body.

Sitting on the stage were bundles of tree limbs bunched and tied together. Attached to some of the branches were small pieces of paper which contained written messages that asked for peace and love. In the Iliad, enchanted females greeted travelers by handing them a leaf that had their destiny written on it. Also, on stage was a long row of dried leaves that the dancers first walked across. Then they grabbed more leaves by the armful and began throwing and scattering them across the stage. The dancers would slow down and approach an audience member, pick up a single leaf, and offer it to him or her, imploring them to take it. Then suddenly, in a flurry, all the women would run toward and dive into the leaves on the stage floor. This act performed with an exhilarating physical power — it was beautiful to witness. The dancers’ uncanny momentum was enhanced by an original music score by Lino Cannavacciuolo. In his music, the composer made adroit use of traditional Italian instruments, exploiting their sound in surprisingly contemporary ways. The intensity of the music was as dramatic and bold as the performance’s four outstanding dancers: Maria Anzivino, Tania Laterza, Gaia Mentoglio, and Pearl May Hubert.

Il Mare Che Ci Unisce began as an international collaboration. Jacob’s Pillow Dance signed up with the Italian Ministry of culture’s program Boarding Pass Plus. Italian and United States dance makers were invited to explore their artistic visions in another country. An American choreographer was invited to Italy; Italian choreographer Cianchi came to work in the United States. The performance of Cianchi’s company, ArtGarageDanceCo, is the culmination of her completed work, which she embarked on in 2021/2022.

Bravissima, compagnia di danza!

Jessica Lockhart is a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow in Dance Criticism and has a BA in Communication from the University of Southern Maine. Lockhart is a Maine Association of Broadcasters award-winning independent journalist. Currently, she also works as program director at WMPG Community radio.