In honor of the impending Halloween, MOTAT invited in the past, who came in with a vengeance. This year’s Olde Hallows Eve celebration was themed the Danse Macabre, the Dance of Death: no matter one’s station in life, the Dance of Death unites all.
Despite it’s theme, Danse Macabre was a family friendly event with a variety of theme related activities and opportunities spread throughout the museum while nearly all of the daily exhibits were closed. Images projected on walls told stories, the steam engine was operating, there was face painting and a stage filled with family friendly fun. A few activities like “Jack the Ripper’s House” did have age restrictions, while another had parental warnings.
Best seen in photos, starting with the themed Danse Macabre:
The legend tells us that “Death” portrayed at MOTAT by the Grim Reaper, appears at midnight every year on Halloween. He calls forth the dead from their graves to dance for him until the rooster crows at dawn, when they must return to their graves until the next year.
Guests were invited to join into the Danse Macabre (Dance of Death) .
The center stage offered different family fun activities throughout the evening.
Sometimes it was about laughing. This Victorian “doctor” and “nurse” diagnosed observers suggesting solutions like cat poultice or a frontal lobotomy.
Guests participate in making pumpkin crafts at the “Children’s Creepy Courtyard”, one of the family friendly activities.
Both the demonstrations and opportunity to make your own lollipops were popular with the kids.
A photo booth gave out free family shots – three persons maximum, so we needed two. In case your wondering about my costume, I was a photographer. However, Melissa followed me around while clapping two coconut shells together, and I galloped. We did see Sir Robin at the event and he was amused.
And, there was the more eerie areas, often with parental warnings or even R13 restrictions.
A bleak warning inside Jack the Ripper’s House. This section was R13 and guests were warned at entry, ‘if you don’t like what the actors are doing, raise up your hands and they will stop.’
The graphic and detailed make up in “Plague Town” added an element of reality.
The haunted house served up a pig’s head and cow’s tongue, both which I was told were “real”, after I was handed the tongue. I opted not to find out for sure.
One of my favorite things about the Danse Macarbe is the creativity of some of the attendees.
Sarah also had a camera, and she let me share here my favorite of her shots.
This is my second year attending Old Hallows Eve, last year being themed A Twisted Victorian Tale. Halloween is actually on 31 October. This event celebrated it early (like Diwali). I am wondering if it is a new trend in New Zealand.
MOTAT is (Auckland’s Museum of Transport and Technology) in Western Springs at 805 Great North Road in Auckland, New Zealand. Also, part of the museum is the Aviation Display Hall at at 190/200-208 Meola Road, Pt Chevalier, although it was not used for this event.
My Final Thoughts on Danse Macabre:
MOTAT does a fantastic job on Olde Hallows Eve. It is well planned out, the attention to detail being its reason for success. If you haven’t been to it before, put it on your calendar for next year. Participant or spectator, it’s good fun with something for everyone. The actors (employees) are focused. They do a impressive job of both staying in character, and paying attention to their audience, speaking to adults like adults and toning it down for children. (Although it was always clean language.). Danse Macabre seems a perfect theme for this pre-Halloween event.
Did you attend the Danse Macabre at MOTAT this year? Did you get inspired for a costume? Will I see you at MOTAT next year for Halloween?
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Disclaimer: I was a guest of MOTAT, however the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.
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Oh! what fun the make up is really effective heheh! I don’t blame you for opting out with the tongue LOL
Have a creepytastic week 🙂
Actually, I did touch the tongue.
Very creepy~
How it wasn’t too creepy for you. I have added more family friendly photos.
Halloween is a sort of creepy holiday, don’t you think? All those gruesome looking people running around dressed like the characters in a horror movie… I’d be really scared to be around them. Seriously! We have some festivities here in Los Angeles too, but nothing as fancy as the Dance Macabre at MOTAT.
Yes, I think creepy is the idea of the holiday, but all done under the umbrella of “creepy fun”.
Some great costumes! Creepy the cow tongue was real.
And like the touch of her following you with two coconuts.
Yes, the real cow tongue and pigs head even freaked me out a bit. (and if they weren’t real, they are super realistic looking). As for the coconuts, it was just a lot of fun.
Very creepy.
I have added more family friendly photos since your comment.
Sometimes the makup and scary characters still give me nightmares. But they did a great job!
I hope there are only good dreams ahead.
Great photos. Looks like a very cool event.
I will follow you on Instagram
It was a very cool event.
The make-up is fantastic and sent chills up my spine.
Have a great, safe Halloween-time, Rhonda.
I hope the artists sees your comment, I would image they would like that reaction.
I’m not a fan of Halloween so none of this appeals to me. I know it does to many and that’s awesome.
Have a fabulous day. 🙂
It’s a much smaller holiday here in New Zealand than it was in the states.
Wow, that is some serious make up. Very well done and very nicely captured. Happy Halloween.
It was pretty impressive make up. People really took the time to make it amazing.
Gosh that is very creepy, you probably won’t be seeing me there.
You can stick to the family friendly activities.
What a fun spooky time. I can’t wait until Friday. That’s when my work goes crazy, and everyone dresses up. At an art school it’s always pretty interesting. I bet you guys had a lot of fun at your party.
I hope you take photos and share the with us.
That’s some interesting makeup. Sounds like an interesting evening. – Margy
Interesting is a good word for it, and enjoyable.
I’m just a little creeped out but I LOVE the glow in the dark wigs.
Sorry, maybe next year I will do two posts, and keep one only family friendly.
This looks like a fun event, and you took some wonderful photos. I can see your weight loss. Keep up the good work!
Thank Joyce. I still have 16 pounds to go, and then I will still weigh more than when we were roommates and thought we were fat. Funny how perspective changes over the years.
The make up is wonderful! Those people are so talented! Thanks for sharing all the great pics. 🙂
I agree! The make up artists and the actors really made this event so great. The talent was inspiring.
Hi Rhonda,
The MOTAT thing looks really well done if you like that sort of thing. Personally I would love to have made the lolly Pops. I know why Dawali was early this year, Venue had already been booked/promised for another event- it was in the herald as the organisors were not happy., perhaps the same thing happened at MOTAT as you would think friday night would be better or perhaps because a lot of the staff are volunteers it was inconvenient for work arrangements.
Thanks Michelle. I had a researched and found a couple of articles on the Diwali date, but I only saw the unhappiness, and opted to leave it out of my article. This is really interesting, thanks for adding it. For MOTAT, I am thinking maybe they selected Labour weekend, but I don’t know.
loved the make up and the intense zombie look 😀
The actors carried it off with body language as well. It was really well done.
I love all their face paints, I am big fan of the macabre and sinister
Mollyxxx
This is the perfect place for you! See you there Halloween 2016!
What wonderful fun for all. You looked eerie but gorgeous. Ha,ha,ha. I wish my town had something like this so that I could take place in it. See ya Rhonda.
Cruisin Paul
If I look eerie, it’s the photographer, I wasn’t dressed up. I like the gorgeous part though 🙂
Their costumes and make up are really good.Look creepy,but seems all of you had a great time…
We did have a great time. 🙂
What an amazing set of photos! That looks like an incredible event. I’m not the biggest fan of Halloween – I don’t like getting dressed up and I don’t like being scared – but this looks like a great time.
I host a Photo Friday link-up each week – I’d love it if you considered joining us!
The cool thing about this event is that you didn’t need to dress up, and you could just do the purely family friendly activities and avoid being scared.
A perfect post for the festival. 😀
Thanks. Hope to see you there next year 🙂
Amazing make-up and costumes! Excellent photos. This really puts me in the Halloween spirit!
Great. What will you be this year?
that looks like a lot of fun – not big on Halloween but that looks more fun.
thanks for sharing and I pinned it 🙂
It was a week before Halloween, but it had a definite macabre theme.
that make up is super! Really inspiring…and I am thinking of doing it this year 🙂
Face paint can be quite elaborate. Please share a photo of your final results.
Oh wow, great pictures, very scary 🙂
It was really a family friendly event, I may have focused a bit too much on the scary aspect here.
Great pics! I love all the Halloween face makeup in the photos <3
xxx
http://www.travelera.es
Pretty amazing how much planning and work goes into the costumes and make up.
Aww everyone looks lovely err scary I mean haha. Lovely photos. We dont celebrate Holloween where I am so I am jealous! Thanks for sharing =)
We have been in New Zealand for 12 years, and Halloween has only really come into favor in the past few. Day of the Dead (1 Nov) seems to be a bigger holiday.
Those folks really get into the Halloween thing. Looks like lots of creepy fun.
Parts were creepy, other parts were family friendly.
They really did do a fabulous job on the costumes and the makeup! Even though you didn’t dress up, it was a great photo of you and hubby. Rhonda, you look especially svelte!
Thanks Julie, I am feeling pretty good too.
For some reason, I was surprised to see photos of people actually dancing at Danse Macabre. I like the Victorian doctor and nurse story, and I’d be too scared to enter the house of Jack the Ripper. It’s good of them to let people raise their hand to stop the scene. Looks like a fun time!
The girl above dancing in the Danse Macabre is my daughter.