THE SKELETON DANCE

AUDIENCE REVIEWS

“As a society we are not very good at dealing with death and with grief in ways that are helpful for the grievers especially, but also, I’m sure, for the dying.

Children often are shut out of the process, as Emma and Ella are in this play, and we see how being removed from their parents at this critical moment creates additional fear and anxiety in them as they are left to their own imaginative devices when it comes to answering the big questions they have. Yet, at the same time children experience death just as adults do.

THE SKELETON DANCE does a beautiful job of mirroring the grief experience of a child- who can be disconsolate in one moment and then fully engaged in a fun new game with their toys the next. Children live so much in the present tense; it’s one of the ways that they are magic, and this play celebrates that, and gives kids additional ways to connect with these ideas about death and dying in a safe, entertaining, and joyful little romp. I left the theatre with a light heart too- and what a gift that is in this world.”

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"Joyful, spirited, moving, and extremely hopeful are just some of the words I would use to describe The Skeleton Dance. It's not often you see big topics like death handled with such care for young people. Emma and Ella create space for children to ask questions, explore feelings and laugh from the tops of their heads to the tips of their toes. I am so grateful that this show exists to show children that these roads can be walked together, that we can hold grief and joy in the same hands, and that sharing feelings with others is how we can make sense of our lives. This show is a true gift to children (and adults) everywhere."

HANNA WOLF

"Beyond incredible. So funny, so sensitive. Made me think of everyone I’ve ever lost, but also the joy of being alive and getting to love the people who are still here. And I laughed, A LOT! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.”

AUDIENCE REVIEW

"The performance was very interactive, very child-friendly, high energy, and thoughtful. I think every member in the audience would have gotten something out of the performance whether it was catharsis, joy, learning, or comfort. They capture the subject of death with sincerity and a sensitivity while in no way shying away from the subject.”

SHELBY KENNEDY - NSUPE PRESIDENT

Photo by Hanna Wolf

"The show was fantastic. I was so captivated by their performance, taking something that can seem so large, and deep and scary like death, and turn it into something light-hearted, educational, and even fun. The concept is so unique. I’ve never seen anything like it before."

LAURA RAFUSE

Photo by Hanna Wolf

THE SKELETON DANCE

This project is possible thanks to the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts and Arts Nova Scotia.

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.

Find us on Instagram: @theskeletondancehfx

THE SKELETON DANCE

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