When the dance performance piece Skeleton Woman was launched at the Showcase of the Performing Arts (SOPA) in Gibsons two years ago, it rocked the house. The Inuit tale, written and choreographed by Lindsay Prentice and performed by Coast dancers, was original and haunting.
It returns to the Heritage Playhouse stage for three performances on June 8 and 9 with an increased cast that includes two of the previous dancers, Pan Wilson and Brittany Robertson.
"When I read the story, an ancient legend I was inspired to make up the dance," Prentice said. "It was a huge dream and a huge test of my confidence in myself."
Prentice has danced her whole life, seriously since the age of six. Still, it required courage to mount an entire production and she was delighted when the audience enjoyed it at SOPA. Five days later, Prentice, who had been a single mom for years, met a man who became her partner.
She comments that there's a certain irony in that Skeleton Woman is a story of union and relationships. A father throws his daughter off a cliff into the sea, and there she sits until a fisherman catches the skeleton woman in a net. He must work through his fear to try to make this strange relationship happen. Finally they come together in a duet that can bring tears to the eyes of the audience.
Two years later Prentice deemed that the time was right to revive the skeleton woman, and she thought about ways to develop the production artistically by including elements that were missing last time.
This time, a narrator will overlay the story; the soundtrack has been recorded by sound artist Steve Wright (also known as steveweave). The story becomes more of a journey and the icy stage setting by Karine Chevarie takes the viewer to the Arctic.
This has been a labour of love, Prentice said, with support from the Sunshine Coast Dance Society and many creative contributions in costumes, original music by J.J. Wagler, masks from Sandy Buck and the whole to be professionally filmed by Ben Low.
All the dancers and contributors lead busy, hectic lives, she commented, though they have been rehearsing since January.
"So many people live like that on the Coast. We have to have other jobs, but we must express ourselves, too," she said.
The cast has grown to 25 - it includes 12 children who volunteered to take part and a trio of performers on stilts.
The dance performance is on Friday, June 8, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, June 9, at 2 and 8 p.m. at the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons. Tickets are $20 and 2 for $30 (age 12 and under, $12) and are available at Gaia's Fair Trade and Heaven on Earth in Gibsons, and MELOmania in Roberts Creek.
