Coroner

First performance: February, 2017

Coroner is a study of the end, but in studying how people die, we learned more on how they live.

With the generous support of DansiT (Norway) and Stofnun Gunnars Gunnarssonar (Iceland), we we nearly finished our new interdisciplinary work, “Coroner.” The work uses projection to increase audience engagement in art and culture, so the public has multiple facets to interact with the artwork (dancing, video, sound, and the combination of all mediums).

In Coroner, we transposed burial services and end of life practices into a graceful texture of the study of “the end” using mostly interviews instead of music alongside dance and video projection.  All the “retro” videos are courtesy of my Elaine Voykin who has lived in the Slocan Valley of British Columbia for 75 years.

Furthermore, our intent is that inclusion of multiple cultural perspectives reinforces thematic dichotomy of diversity in culture but also faith.  What’s more, in creating “Coroner,” we were all the more interested in artistically relaying controversial issues (like faith), so as to represent “a varied thought-climate” without taking sides or showing preference for liberal views.  As a result, we had to tread lightly over the question of “God,” and this process was extremely rewarding.

A generous thank-you following supporters who kindly donated their time and existential thoughts

• Ólöf Margrét Snorradóttir, Prestur (Reverend), Egilsstaðaprestakall, Egilsstadir, Iceland
• Ingvild Knudsen Hammernes, Hospital Priest, Ministry of St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
• Tor Harald Johnsen, Lademoen Cemetery, Trondheim, Norway
• Cathrine Bang Hellum Interlocutor, Ministry of St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
• Ingeborg D. Sanders, DansiT – Regional Centre for Dance in Trondheim and Mid-Norway, Trondheim, Norway
• Heide Thorsen, Deacon, Ministry of Hoeggen, Trondheim, Norway
• Þórhildur Þöll Pétursdóttir, Hjúkrunarfræðingur og Ljósmóðir, Nurse & Mid-Wife, HSA Egilsstadir, Iceland
• Megan Johnson, Licensed Funeral Director & Embalmer, Thompson Funeral Service, Nelson, BC
• Lorraine Fracy, Manager, Client Services & Administrative Operations, Royal Oak Burial Park, Victoria, BC
• Ioanna Antonarou (former company member)
• Josephine Craig Penner
• Malin Nøss Vangsnes (former company member)
• Sadie Freeman
• Jorn Saternes, Laboratoriesenteret, Ministry of St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
• Chloe Higginbotham, DARP Coordinator, Dreamland, Buffalo, NY

Production Details

Dancers:  Variable production proportions available for touring with 4 or 6  dancers

Length:  55 minutes