Since the sudden death of her father, and change in career trajectory, a Nanaimo performer has wanted to unravel the end-of-life experience.
And as a burlesque and cabaret-style dancer, she'll do it with the style and flair she knows best.
Miss Divinity Rising has danced with Victoria’s Cheesecake Burlesque Revue, Nanaimo’s Sweet Tooth Burlesque, has been involved with A Night At the Palace at the Errington Hall for approximately a decade, and is currently a member of Nanaimo’s Sultry Sirens Burlesque.
Debuting for the Nanaimo Fringe Festival, the performer will present Death’s Cabaret: A Musical Journey to the Other Side, a one-woman show that weaves ancient Indian mythology with cabaret-style song and dance numbers.
“The original title of my show was actually ‘Death as a Teacher,’ and that’s what I’m trying to convey … The idea that death can be a great loss, but can also be something that teaches us about ourselves and about life,” she said.
In her show, the performer will share how the cancer-related death of her immigrant father felt life changing and how it inspired her to help other families dealing with the imminent death of a loved one by becoming a palliative-care nurse.
In fact, the essence of Death’s Cabaret was born from a nursing school project on how humanity comes to understand the world. After graduation and once she was working face-to-face with people who were dying, she decided to present the material in an accessible way for people outside the health-care field.
And as a nod to her ancestral homeland, Miss Divinity Rising felt compelled to weave her own personal story with an ancient Indian myth about a boy who approaches the god of death directly to ask what happens after death.
“I felt that paralleled my own experience of learning about death and dying. Also learning about life through the experience of being with my father as he made that journey from his cancer diagnosis to his end of life," the performer said.
While working on the show, she also discovered her own surprise about life.
“I’m producing my first one-woman show while also producing my first child,” she said with a laugh. “I feel like there’s a lot of crossover between death and pregnancy. For me, having never been pregnant before, every experience I am having is totally new and can be quite anxiety-provoking … And my experience with death and dying – to watch somebody that you love go through that process can be very anxiety-provoking.”
Death’s Cabaret: A Musical Journey to the Other Side has a content warning for nudity and trigger warning for themes about death, sexuality and abuse, and may not be suitable for those actively grieving.
The show will be staged at the Black Rabbit Kitchen on Selby Street on Aug. 10, 11, 14, 15 and 17, at various times.
More information about the show and the Nanaimo Fringe Festival can be found at www.nanaimofringe.com.
