Behind the Curtain: An Interview with Elizabeth Marlin about Corinthians 13:13

This piece centers on love as the greatest of the three virtues. How do you interpret that through movement?

The structure of the piece lends itself really well to exemplifying the character of love. The piece starts with two distinct solos, depicting isolation, wandering, and distress. After that, the two dancers start to move together, illustrating the choice to break out of self-centeredness and focus on the other. There is a good deal of separation and then coming back together, which indicates the willful choosing of the other no matter what. Building on that, we try to infuse the nuances of our movements with this illustration! The glance of an eye, the touch of a fingertip, the gesture of a hand - all can be meaningful for the artistic expression of this theme.

How has your understanding of love — sacrificial, enduring, and divine — deepened during this process?

In my research for this piece, my favorite definition of love I have encountered is St. Thomas Aquinas': "To love is to will the good of the other." This would be impossible in our own human selfishness, but thankfully "we love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). It is in Christ's sacrifice on the Cross that we find this love perfectly exemplified. God willed our good so much that He sacrificed His very self to set us free from the yoke of sin. Using His example and drawing from His grace, we are called to mirror that divine love!

The text is widely known but often misunderstood. What do you hope audiences feel or see in a new way?

I hope audiences can see how radically we are called to love one another. Not many of us will be called to give our lives for another person, but every single person is called to die to his or her self every day, willing the good of others we meet and choosing their good even above our own. In this way, "if we love one another, God lives in us, and His love is made complete in us" (1 John 4:12).

Which of the three — faith, hope, or love — do you personally connect with most right now, and why?

Ironically enough, it's faith. I'm currently walking through a season of life that is demanding a lot of trust in God. But even in that, I am keenly aware of God's perfect love sustaining that faith and driving out fear.

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