It is said that during the annual gatherings of the eight witches on the Bald Mountain where they would swear obedience to their Master, they would engage in dancing and loud partying for his amusement. They would usually follow the format of a circle dance, the witches coming together around a bonfire, and overcome by frenzy became enticed to spin and sway to unheard melodies among demons and spirits. These dances could and usually did go on throughout the entire night until the break of day. Their laughter and yelps could be heard from the base of the mountain and villagers of Brocken would often be tempted to join them in their revelry. However, this was considered unwise as the dancing was sacred to the witches themselves, and any man caught spying would be immediately struck mad.
Nowadays, the dances are performed as an homage to the memory of the eight illustrious figures whose teaching inspired the formation of the dorms. Taking place a week before the Sorting ceremony, students who passed the admission exam are invited to attend a ceremony known as the Witch Dances. Its purpose is to help the young girls about to enter Walpurga Nacht decide which particular dorm they might find most helpful for their studies based on its presentation by the Prefects.
Opening the Witch Dances at dusk is an event known as the “Danse Macabre”. In the venue which takes the form of a theatron (ancient Greek theater), a group of twelve students are gathered in the middle around a bonfire that is burning brightly. Dressed in red, loose dresses the girls also wear masks that resemble various animals, among the most common being pigs, wolves and goats. Around them, at a fair distance, is another group of nine girls clad in black and seated down with hangs in their laps or tambourines in their hands. The girls around the bonfire hold hands and as the others students begin to play their instruments start to dance in a circle around the bonfire. The dance is wild and unstructured, accompanied by chanting and punctuated by yelps and shouts as the students twirl and move to the rhythm of the music. The red clothing makes it seem like they are blending in with the fire itself, and the animal masks create a grotesque image of madness and devilry.
The purpose of this dance is two-fold: to recreate what the atmosphere on the night where the eight witches met on the Bald Mountain must have felt like and to acknowledge the sacred nature of this event. Though information about the witches is scarce, it is said that the eight of them came from very different walks of life based on the textual evidence left behind by their grimoires. The fact that they would assemble each year and treat each other as equals was proof of their respect for each other. The twelve girls dancing around the first are said to represent the months of the year, and the number nine is considered a cursed one but also has connotations of power.
As a result the twelve dancing girls are girls chosen for the month of their birth, at random, from among the second, third and fourth years. It reinforces the idea that no matter the girl they are all witches at their core. The nine instrumentalists are all chosen from among the music club. The girls usually prepare for this event before the end of the previous school year, after the Prefects for the next year are announced.
Once the Danse Macabre is over, all that remains on the stage is a ring of scorch marks and footsteps. What follows is a short speech given by the Headmistress of the school regarding the legends of the eight witches and their teachings, before introducing the Prefects at the start of their performances to the audience.
What follows afterwards are the presentations for the eight dorms according to what the respective Prefect thinks are its most important features. Traditionally, Rosenhex has always had a focus on their mastery of enchantments and charms, either bringing constructions to life or asking for volunteers from the audience in order to cast a charm on them. Grimmaire takes a more methodical approach and almost simulates a classroom lecture, as the Prefect rattles off the many spell compositions and steps to be undertaken when casting. Kriegskald’s performances have usually been focused on showing off their newest creations and mechanisms, or bolder Prefects have gone ahead and attempted to recreate them on stage. Galdtrea’s performances are often cited as lacklustre as there are only so many ways one can talk about and present a collection of herbs and plants. Monarchia presentations are turned usually into a monster show, where tamed beasts are brought to show the audience their various tricks and abilities. Oraluna has focused mainly on showcasing its divination talents and fortune telling by asking for volunteers from the audience. Eliksia has always done a live demonstration of how their alchemical concoctions might be used or what their effect might be, with the Prefect explaining the process. While Noctasis has remained rather controversial with its exhibitions of mummified corpses and pickled organs to this day.
The Danse Macabre portion is allocated thirty minutes, and is followed by a short intermission of fifteen minutes. The Headmistress’ speech is usually an hour and a half, followed also by an intermission. Each Prefect is given 50 minutes to perform their ‘dance’ and it is up to them how they use it. While the dancing witches must wear red and animal masks, and the singing witches must wear black, the Prefects are allowed to dress in any manner they consider fitting. Some may order customized costumes, while others may choose to don the school’s Ceremony Dress. The only request is that whatever clothing they wear, it must remain in the limits of public decency.
The Witch Dances are not traditionally televised, this being seen as a breach of privacy, however this year, at the request of Prefect Rosalia Morgainne, the school has allowed her manager to livestream the eight performances. It was considered inappropriate for the Danse Macabre to be caught on camera, and the manager considered the Headmistress’ speech irrelevant to the PR campaign he was undertaking.
Notes: The idea for the Witch Dances comes from several sources. First there is the Disney animated short “Night on the Bald Mountain” where spirits and demons dance for Chernabog’s amusement in infernal fire. The image of the three masks (pig, wolf, goat) correspond to the three animals that appear during a scene in the short. The red dresses are an allusion to the Fire Women that also appear there. Second, there is the image of Walpurgisnacht as shown in Goethe’s Faust, where witches and warlocks dance together on top of the Harz Mountains. Another reference is made to the Iele, which are beings in Romanian folklore who are said to dance so beautifully it drives men mad. The name ‘Danse Macabre’ refers to the artistic allegory on the universality of death: regardless of one’s station in life, death comes for all.
