Celia Rowlson-Hall's Spiritual Vision for 'The Testament of Ann Lee'
Choreographer Celia Rowlson-Hall has revealed a profound spiritual experience that guided her work on the film The Testament of Ann Lee, starring Amanda Seyfried as the founder of the 18th-century Christian sect, the Shakers. In an exclusive interview, Rowlson-Hall shared, "I'll tell you something I've not told anyone. This might make me sound a little wild, but I don't care." She recounted a vivid dream on the eve of filming: "The night before we started, I was sleeping and, literally, the ghost of Ann Lee was over my bed with angels around, and she said: 'Go forth!'"
The Feral Energy of Shaker Rituals
Directed by Mona Fastvold, the film depicts Ann Lee, a blacksmith's daughter from Manchester, whose religious visions sparked her evangelism. Rowlson-Hall draws parallels between Lee's faith and artistic creation, stating, "She was an artist, without a doubt. To be an artist, you have to believe in more than just what you see. It's a concoction of faith and drive, a little delusion and a lot of energy. Like gunpowder." Lee led the Shakers to the United States, preaching piety, pacifism, celibacy, and confession, inspiring both devotion and controversy.
The Shakers worshipped through chanting and dancing, which Rowlson-Hall masterfully choreographed for the film. In intense scenes set in Manchester, sweat-soaked participants raise their hands to the sky, then drop and slap their chests in rhythmic fervor. Rowlson-Hall described these mass worship sequences as feeling "very feral," noting, "The body looks like it's about to explode." Fastvold has compared these gatherings to a rave, highlighting how people seek escape, community, and transcendence through physical expression.
Rowlson-Hall's Diverse Choreographic Journey
Growing up in small-town Virginia, Rowlson-Hall began dancing at age five, inspired by Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and later, Pina Bausch's dance theatre. After discovering the films of British dance company DV8, she pursued choreography, working with New York choreographers Faye Driscoll and Monica Bill Barnes before branching into music videos, TV, and commercials. Her portfolio includes dances for Lena Dunham's Girls, Charlotte Wells's film Aftersun (where she also played the adult Sophie), and music videos for artists like MGMT, Coldplay, and Alicia Keys.
Rowlson-Hall's style is eclectic, blending pop, commercial, weird, satirical, contemporary, tap, social dance, and ballet elements. She recently returned to theatre with the show Sissy, featuring actor Marisa Tomei. Reflecting on her approach, she said, "I personally think dance is probably the answer to nearly everything. The body is where your intuition lies, your deep truth and knowing. And if you're not, sort of, shaking it around, it can get lost."
Personal Connections and Artistic Evolution
The film delves into darker themes, such as a devastating sequence where Lee gives birth four times, with all her children dying. Rowlson-Hall's own son, then a year old, was with her during that shoot, and she wells up remembering it. This experience reinforced Lee's belief that sexual relations were evil, with Shaker worship serving as a path to healing or survival. Rowlson-Hall explained, "Everything that happens to us we take in. So where does it live on the body? And if you take in pain and loss, how are you going to get it out?"
Rowlson-Hall's relationship with dance evolved after coming out at age 30. She is married to director Mia Lidofsky, with their wedding featured in Vogue. She shared, "All of a sudden my relationship to dance changed. I almost stopped dancing because I felt like this thing that had been pushing against me the whole time was finally out. I'm still trying to re-find my relationship to dance 10 years later." She believes the body holds the answers, a theme central to The Testament of Ann Lee, which explores the thin line between the dances of God and sin, prayer and sex.
The music for the film, composed by Oscar-winner Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist), is based on surviving Shaker hymns. With limited source material, Rowlson-Hall relied on her imagination to create the whirl of movement. The film, described as a strange and powerful kind of musical, premieres in UK cinemas from 27 February, offering a unique glimpse into ecstatic rituals and artistic vision.
