the shakers

The Shakers were a religious sect born in England in the eighteenth century. They subsequently moved to the States where their group flourished and expanded. One of their most enigmatic leaders was Ann Lee, also known as Ann the Word or Mother Ann. She preached absolute chastity among her people. The Shakers’ ritual was characterised by a series of dances and chants in order for the worshippers to shake off their sins. This sect has inspired the work of choreographers such as Doris Humphrey who created a masterpiece of simplicity and intensity in her The Shakers (1931) and, more recently, Tero Saarinen who choreographed Borrowed Light (2005).