It opens in blue, a haunting, timeless, ethereal blue, the kind of bluethat reminds you of dreams. Center Stage amid all this blue light stand three dancers with their backs to the audience. They are of similar height, comparable build and dressed in matching costumes of baggy white pants and simple white tops. The music begins, a crackly, haunting ditty spoken (sung?) repeatedly:“Jesus’ blood never failed me. Yes, never failed me. Yes, Jesus’ blood neverfailed me. This one thing I know, for he loved me so.” The dancers move in rhythms and motions reminiscent of the tide coming in and going out. Then they turn and a flash of black — a small apron, a square of loincloth — jars the trance-like mood and the stainless impression. This hard edge draws the attention in just the same way the dancers’ precise movements emphasize their repetition. It is odd. It is awkward. It is also poetic.The 2011 season of Bard SummerScape has opened. The Tero Saarinen Company, the celebrated modern dance company from Finland that has won numerous international awards since its founding in 1996, gave four performances at Bard over the July 7-10 weekend, the only stop in the United States on its world tour. The company presented a triple bill of some of its most notable dances: “Westward, Ho!” their debut signature from 1996; “Wavelengths” (2000), a reworking of Ravel’s “Bolero”; “HUNT” (2002), a stunning solo conceived and danced by the troupe’s founder, Tero Saarinen, to Stravinsky’s“The Rite of Spring.” And an unexpected bonus: the award-winning lighting by Mikki Kunttu which really is every bit as spectacular as Saarinen’s choreography. “Westward, Ho!”is an odd little piece for three dancers. Built aroundrepetition and simple, stark movements typical of much modern dance of a certain genre, “Westward, Ho!” slowly develops a theme about individuality versusgroup sensibility or even dogma. The playbill describes the dance as anexploration of “friendship and betrayal – a stoic struggle for survival.”It is odd musically as well as visually for it is awkward even as it lullsyou or disturbs you. Saku Koistinen, Pekka Louhio and Heikki Vienola dance“Westward, Ho!” with an ease that belies the difficulty of Saarinen’schoreography. The prone inching across the floor, the expansive armmovements done in sync are easy examples to recall of demanding choreography that only looks easy. “Wavelengths,” however, is lyrical where “Westward, Ho!” is self-conscious. It is exciting in that it is a traditional pas de deux with a contemporary perspective on love and the struggle to maintain a sense of self. Thedancing by Henrikki Heikkilå and Sini Lånsivuori is beautiful and powerful. The use of shadows to intensify and distort is equally effective. Thelighting moves from cool, neutral white to a black background to a richorange, an interesting palette for the drawing close and pushing away ofattraction. Costumes by Erika Turenen are simple, Continued from page 10loose, and spare in bland colors. The backless cut of Turenen’s top and the merciless spotlight on the dancer’s sinewy back underscore her strength and seeming delicacy. It is sensual and oddly modern. The best piece out of an evening of strong, stunning dance, however, wasSaarinen’s solo performance in “HUNT.” While Saarinen typically uses light and shadow the way others use set and costume, this is pushed to extremes in “HUNT” as Saarinen uses his own body as a canvas for an internal light show as well as strobe lights to create a host of images and effects that have everything to do with lift and loft as much as a frenzied beating of wings,or a gasping breath for life. The 45-minute solo is visually astonishing and conceptually beautiful. It gathers radically different elements and weaves them together to present this final work of physicality and vision. In many ways, Tero Saarinen at SummerScape was “classic Bard,” an evening of the excellent as well as the esoteric. If the gift of dance is in the way, its sheer physicality can take audiences to unexpected places. The TeroSaarinen Company delivered twofold: first, in the way it stretches expectations of dance; and finally, in the stunning way it takes its audience to new places.
Latest News
One systemic consequence of slavery is the loss and obscuring of the histories of those who were enslaved. Records were often not kept about where Africans had been stolen from or who they were related to. Families were torn apart, leaving nothing but the faintest traces of the past. The delineation point, where genealogists can no longer trace histories back, is refered to this as the “document wall.”
Today, 250 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and more than 160 years since the Emancipation Proclamation, there is a growing effort to restore some of the history stripped from enslaved people and their descendants. Among the leaders of these efforts is Mills, president of the Alex Breanne Corporation, a nonprofit organization that works to identify previously anonymous Black Americans from history and connect them with their living relatives.
The work began with Mills’ sister, who started digging into their family’s past in the 1990’s and introduced him to this emerging world of genealogy. Through that process, the Mills family discovered their great-great-grandfather, Ned Mills, who had been enslaved in Texas. His last name came from his final enslaver and remains the family surname. Through their research, they found that the document wall directly affected their ancestor, who learned of his liberation on June 19, 1865, now commemorated as Juneteenth.
“For the first time,” Mills writes on his website, “American slavery wasn’t something that had happened to anonymous people in a history book. It had happened to my family.”
The discovery gave Mills a familial pride he had been missing for years. That pride fueled his desire to help others find their own history. In 2023, Mills received his certificate in genealogical research from Boston University. He has used his expertise to help descendants of enslaved people uncover histories they never dreamed of learning.
To do this, he uses a process called “reverse genealogy,” identifying a person from the past and working forward to discover their descendants. Along the way, Mills has found some remarkable people who fought for freedom on American soil, some of whom were never freed.
Pay Bill for Robin Starr’s service in the Continental Army.Courtesy the Alex Breanne Corporation
At the Cornwall Historical Society event, Mills will present the stories of four Connecticut families: Job Lathrop of Norwich, the son of Pirmus Armes, about whom Mills has published a book; Prince Mortimer of Middletown, also the subject of a book by Mills;, the three sons of London Wallace of Simsbury; and Robert “Robin” Starr of Danbury, who later lived in Cornwall and Sharon.
A few years ago, Cornwall Consolidated School social studies teacher Will Vincent reached out to Mills for research guidance on a local history project his students were undertaking. Together, they learned about Naomi Freeman of Cornwall. After purchasing an acre of land on Great Hollow Road in 1828, Naomi Freeman became the first Black female landowner in Cornwall.
The students petitioned the town to rename a road after the historic Cornwall resident In April 2025, Great Hollow Road was officially renamed Naomi Freeman Historic Road. U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes joined Mills and the Cornwall Consildated School students for a presentation of their research.
Since then, Mills has guided the students in their quest to learn more about Starr’s story. Starr was a Revolutionary War soldier who joined the Continental Army to earn enough money to buy his own freedom, receiving the Badge of Merit in the process. The stories of his descendents’ services are equally worthy of their own books.
In recognition of Mills and the students’ work, First Selectman Gordon Ridgway proclaimed Feb. 8 as Robin Starr Day.
Preregistration is required for the event at the Cornwall Historical Society. To learn more about Mills’ work, visit
alexbreanne.org.
John Mills speaking at Quinnipiac University.Courtesy the Alex Breanne Corporation
Stephanie Saetta runs Charlie Chicken Bones, a sanctuary in Salisbury.
Dogs have been at the center of Saetta’s life since childhood. She remembers going to the library to research different breeds and trying to convince her parents the family needed a dog. She had her heart set on an Irish Wolfhound, but she was more than happy when her mom brought home a West Highland terrier.
After college, she adopted Charlie as a puppy from a rescue on Long Island. He was a hound-shepherd-Rottweiler mix who suffered from intense seizures. Some veterinarians recommended euthanasia, but Saetta wasn’t ready to give up on him.
When Charlie would have an episode, she would sit with him, nose to nose, talking him through it. She learned to look for the moment he began to come around — when he could smell her again and his tail started to wag.
“You only get one or two of these soul connection dogs, so I do this in his honor,” Saetta said. “I like to think that all the dogs that come through are going to have that person that they connect with just the same.”
Through a network of women working to rescue animals in Texas, she learned about the desperate situations facing many dogs.
With limited space, some public pounds euthanize even healthy animals to make room. Limited access to veterinary care leaves sick dogs or unvaccinated puppies especially vulnerable.
Saetta saw that reality firsthand with a puppy named Gus, a Labrador mix she fostered who has since been adopted. Gus and his sisters had been dumped beside a road, where they were living under an abandoned car. People would leave food for them, but no one would take them to the pound.
“Even the people who rescue animals down there were like, ‘sadly, the best place for them to be is on the side of the road,’” she said. “That’s safer. Someone might actually help them that way.”
Saetta knows that there are far more dogs than any one person can save, but she also knows that helping one dog means one fewer on the street.
Stephanie Saetta,with her rescue dog George and Blue (left), a shepherd mix awaiting his forever home.Madi Long
Charlie Chicken Bone Sanctuary operates entirely through foster homes, a model that Saetta believes is best for the dogs and the humans hoping to adopt them.
Rather than moving directly from a difficult environment into a permanent home, the dogs have a chance to settle into a quieter setting. They can learn what it’s like to live with a family, sleep somewhere comfortable and receive affection without fighting for attention. Fostering also allows the rescue to really get to know each dog.
“As fosters, we’re honest,” said Saetta. We’ll tell you everything that’s been bad, everything that’s been good. What their temperament is and how they’ve responded to all the things they’ve experienced.”
A successful adoption is not just about finding a dog a home; it’s about finding the right home where the dog and family can thrive together.
Saetta is looking for more people willing to open their homes to foster dogs. She understands that the thought of growing attached and eventually saying goodbye can feel daunting. But she sees that goodbye a little differently.
Fostering means being part of a dog’s journey, even if only for a short time. It gives dogs a safe place to rest, the chance to trust again and the love they have gone without for much of their lives. And when the time comes for them to leave, it is not really a loss. It is the reward of knowing they are moving on to a forever home.
Blue, Saetta’s current foster, is hoping to find his perfect home.
Blue, a 7 year-old Shepard mix, is waiting for his forever home. Madi Long
Now around 7 years old, Blue spent most of his life wandering the streets of Texas. People sometimes left food out for him, but his mangy, dirty coat kept them from stopping to pet him. Today, he has a chance to experience something different.
Blue is still waiting for his forever home. Saetta believes he would do best as the only dog in a household or alongside another senior dog. He will need someone willing to continue working with him on his training and understand that a dog with his history needs patience.
But what he gives in return is a whole lot of love.
“He’s so enthusiastic, he’s so excited for life, he’s so friendly, and he’s got such a good heart, and he loves to cuddle,” Saetta said. “He’s a good, good, good dog.”
For more information on adopting Blue or how to foster, visit ccbsanctuary.org.
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
