What happens after we die?  Are we reincarnated either physically or spiritually?  Do some of us go to Heaven and some to Hell?  Are we reunited personally with a deity or absorbed impersonally into an absolute?  Or is death simply the end, with nothing at all awaiting?

If these questions intrigue or trouble you, you may wish to participate in HereAfterHere, a multi-arts concert preceded by a wide variety of free community events.

The University of Utah Department of Modern Dance is presenting Tandy Beal & Company in HereAfterHere.  Directed and choreographed by Beal, with music by Jon Scoville, video by Ellen Bromberg and Denise Gallant, actors from California and dancers from Utah, the concert utilizes video, music, text, live dance, theater and “magical visuals.”   The combination is intended to both mirror the multiplicity of views on what happens after life and to stimulate an altered state in order to contemplate the unknowable.

The choreography is more classical than contemporary, perhaps better to speak to a diverse audience and to evoke the timelessness of man’s curiosity about what happens after death, while the multimedia ranges from the mundane to the ethereal.

Backed by extensive research, the concert explores both contemporary and historical views of the afterlife from a variety of traditions.  HereAfterHere has been described in its three previous incarnations in California as wry, deep, hilarious, poignant, and moving — but never as boring or depressing.

Likewise, it takes no sides, draws no conclusions, but rather aims to stimulate curiosity, encourage audience participation, and provoke discussion about death, one of the few remaining taboo subjects in our culture, and yet something we all will face and that affects our lives profoundly.

For most people, death no longer occurs at home, and family members are often not present.  In mourning, we are bombarded with platitudes.  Even the word “death” and its variants are rarely used, replaced instead with euphemisms.

Meanwhile, aging is often regarded as shameful and youthfulness is often regarded as an ultimate value, as evidenced by society’s focus on youth culture, not to mention Botox, cosmetic surgery and Viagra.

So it’s no wonder that, when confronted with our own mortality or that of loved ones, we often find ourselves anxious, unsure of what to say or do, puzzled, fearful, angry or lost.

Carleen Jimenez, an artist and art therapist who first saw the production after the death of a family member and who is organizing the community events, says that “Recognizing the inevitable is what makes us most human and imagining this unimaginable event is what makes us most individual.”

The community events are designed for a broad audience and include the Japanese film “After Life,” as well as Jean Cocteau’s classic film “Orpheus,” both moderated with discussion following; opportunities to record or post a brief version of what you think happens after one dies; Hospice Chaplain Kelly Fogarty’s presentation on learning how to be a supportive presence at the end of life; information on planning for future healthcare and funeral needs; and the symposium “Pondering the Imponderable: Metaphors of Science, Art and Religion.”

In addition, the Thursday and Friday performances of HereAfterHere will have a post-show Q&A, and there is a hospice benefit at Thursday evening’s performance.

Ariane Audd, one of the dancers in HereAfterHere says, “There is a sense of elegance and beauty in Beal’s choreography, and I believe that encapsulates how we’d all like to envision the afterlife — or perhaps how we hope we would leave this life: leaping, spinning, jumping…dancing with grace to whatever awaits us.”

HereAfterHere will be performed at the Marriott Center for Dance on the University of Utah campus Thursday May 9 – Saturday, May 11. Tickets are $15-$30. Visit www.kingtix.com for more information and tickets.

Programming associated with the performance continues at the Salt Lake City Main Library May 1 – 6. Click here for a full schedule of events.

Sarah Thompson

Sarah Thompson is a retired physician and psychiatrist, as well as a writer and a fan of the arts. Her writing has been published in a variety of magazines and textbooks and she is currently working on a short story and a novel.