‘Feu Follett’ exhilarating production

ORONO — Why, I wondered, after witnessing the Elisa Monte Dance Company’s story ballet “Feu Follett,” Saturday night at the Maine Center for the Arts in Orono, was my heart so gladdened?

After all, the central theme of “Feu Follett” was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Evangeline,” the tragic story of starcrossed lovers separated during the expulsion of the Acadians by the British in 18th century Nova Scotia.

Could the unutterable happiness I felt have come from watching the company’s seven dancers — so fluid and flexible and passionate as they relayed the Acadian story which spans 300 years, including their migration to Nova Scotia from France, their deportation from Nova Scotia and their resettlement in Louisiana?

Or could it have been the spirited, yet poignant, Cajun music performed masterfully by the Louisiana band Mamou? Complete with fiddles, guitar, accordian, upright bass, drum and washboard, Mamou provided the rhythmic, infectious, lilting Cajun music that nobody doesn’t love.

Still yet, could it have been the life-affirming message so expressively conveyed by both dancers and musicians and so carefully woven into the ballet by choreographers Elisa Monte and husband David Brown? That message, of course, being one that says life must continue even in the face of extreme anguish. The Acadian culture, though torn apart, persevered, remaining strong and vital to this day. And even though Evangeline was never to be reunited with the love of her life, in the end she realized that she had no choice but to reconcile, to square her shoulders and forge ahead.

“Feu Follett,” which means “Crazy Fires,” a colloquial term to describe the marsh lights of the Louisiana bayous, is a beautifully simple tale translated by dancers who exult in their storytelling as they combine ballet, modern dance and even Cajun-style folk dancing. They were magnificent: graceful and strong and athletic. The women made a pretty picture indeed, with their filmy, flowered skirts swirling gracefully just above their bare feet; the men bounding and leaping in leather, fringed boots and colorful vests.

All this was done before an ethereal-looking, smoky bayou made enchantingly realistic by eerie lights and the sounds of croaking frogs and lapping waves.

I once read about a heroine who begged God to give her a life of extremes. If I’m to be sad, she prayed, let me be completely, utterly despairing; and when I’m happy, let it be an intense, ineffable ecstasy.

I was reminded of her plea as I watched “Feu Follett.” For the story of Evangeline and of the Acadian culture as told by Elisa Monte’s dancers, bespoke of nothing if not wrenching sorrow and enormous joy.

But it all culminated with the idea of enduring, of continuing on even in the face of tragedy.

And when the rhythmic sounds of the drums lingered in my mind long after the production was over, it seemed just as it should be.