THE SKELETON DANCE
Emma and Ella are both determined to die first.
THE SKELETON DANCE is a play for all ages about Death (YAY!)
It is a highly physical, energetic, and light-hearted play with elements of creative movement, clown, and puppetry. It is created and performed by Emma James (they/she) and Ella MacDonald (she/her).
It runs approximately 50 minutes, invites structured audience participation, and is always followed by a meet-and-greet or talk back.
In THE SKELETON DANCE, two young children, Emma and Ella, process the news that their Great Uncle Trout has suddenly passed away.
They consider the implications of this in an entertaining, irreverent way, where the audience is privy to their many whimsical theories about death.
Photos by Stoo Metz
CONTENT WARNING:
THE SKELETON DANCE is an all-ages show that talks about death. If talking about death and dying is hard for you, that’s okay! These things can be hard to talk about. We invite you to participate at your own discretion. That could look like taking deep breaths, stepping away for a minute, or even deciding that this show isn’t for you. That’s okay, too!
Click here to read about supporting a young person through grief and loss, and click here to read about how to process and find support if you’re grieving.
PERFORMANCE DATES
Emma James
Emma James (they/she) is an emerging queer neurodivergent theatre artist and arts administrator based in K’jipuktuk/Halifax. Acting (Selected): A Sapphic Affair (STAGES Theatre Festival 2024); THE SKELETON DANCE (Ella + Emma); Mary Stuart, Ephemera, Concord Floral (FSPA); Somebody to Love, Back to the East Coast, No Clue (Grafton Street Dinner Theatre). Directing (Selected): Sappho’s Garden (The Spare Key Collective); Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche (Dalhousie Theatre Society). Honours: Concept to Realization Grant - THE SKELETON DANCE, Research and Creation Grant - Sappho's Garden (Canada Council for the Arts); AFBS / Ferne Downey Scholarship in Acting (ACTRA Fraternal Benefits Society); Stephen Graham Bird Award (Theatre New Brunswick). Education: BA Hons. In Theatre - Acting, Certificate in Dance & Movement (Dalhousie University '21); Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership (NSCC ‘23).
Photo by Riley McGill (@rilecam)
Ella MacDonald
Ella MacDonald (she/her) is a theatre-maker and intimacy director from Kjipuk’tuk/Halifax. She completed her B.A. (Hons.) in Acting with a Certificate in Creative Movement from Dalhousie University in 2021. In 2019 she completed the Animotion Puppetry intensive at Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia. In 2021 she completed the Launchpad Training Program with Principal Intimacy Professionals. She is the recipient of the 2020 Hnatyshyn Developing Artist Grant for English Theatre. Select Young Audience Credits include: THE SKELETON DANCE (original co-creation), The Rainbow Fish [Mermaid Theatre], Birds of a Feather, Mischief [Neptune Theatre].
Photo by Emily Jewer (@mjphotographicshfx)
COLLABORATORS
Ann-Marie Kerr (she/her) - Creative Consultant
Sally Morgan (she/her) - Movement Consultant
Veronique MacKenzie (she/her) - Apprenticeship Supervisor / Mentor
THE SKELETON DANCE began development as a collage of texts and references! Check out our Living Bibliography here:
This project has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
OUR SUPPORTERS
We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to our incredible supporters, including:
Ian Nettle (@ian_nettle)
Gale Force Theatre (Franziska Glen & Lily Falk)
Ann-Marie Kerr
Sally Morgan
Eastern Front Theatre
Fundy Geological Museum
Truro Farmer’s Market
Partners for Youth
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THE SKELETON DANCE
The Skeleton Dance began development in 2019 as a vocal masque assignment in theatre school between emerging artists Ella MacDonald (she/her) and Emma James (they/she). Thanks to the support of their faculty and many other community partners, The Skeleton Dance is able to take on new life while it explores death in a new way.
This project is possible thanks to the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
The creation, development, and presentation of The Skeleton Dance has taken place in K’jipuktuk, the ancestral and unceded land of the Mi’kmaq people.
© 2022 Ella & Emma
