Dance of Death

Dance of Death, otherwise known as Totentanz or Danse Macabre, is an art form that arose from the chaos of the Black Death. As a way of coping emotionally with the tragedy, people concocted various odd forms of popular entertainment, but none more bizarre than this. A number of picto-graphic versions exist, showing Death claiming people from every walk of life, often revealing a dark humor. Some appear on ancient church walls and stained glass throughout Europe, but the most famous of these is Holbein's.

There were many play versions in which folk from all classes told of their lives, only to be claimed by Death. Such plays usually began with an exhortation to live a virtuous life because Death could come at any time. In our madcap version, however, each character dances off with Death to the sound of merry hurdy-gurdy music, and there is even a happy ending of sorts.