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Start Date
13-6-2025 11:30 AM
Description
In 1978, Dutch theme Park De Efteling opened Spookslot, an animatronics-show that transported the guest to a haunted churchyard. As impressive as the original show was, arguably the most memorable aspect of Spookslot was its music. Instead of composing an original soundtrack – as later would become the norm for De Efteling – the show was set to Camille Saint-Seäns’s symphonic poem Danse Macabre (1875). While Danse Macabre is not the only piece of classical music heard in De Efteling, it is by far the most memorable and enduring. For many Dutch people, Danse Macabre and The Efteling are synonymous.
When De Efteling announced in early 2022 that Spookslot would be demolished in favour of a thrill ride, this decision sparked outrage. While people were rightfully upset about the disappearance of a historically significant attraction, many people also mourned the potential loss of Danse Macabre. However De Efteling soon announced that Saint-Saëns’s symphonic poem would not only be preserved in the new attraction, but that the ride itself would also bear its name: Danse Macabre.
Now that Danse Macabre has opened to the public, this presentation will closely examine Saint-Seäns’s Danse Macabre and how this composition has woven itself into the cultural heritage of De Efteling. I will do so by examining how De Efteling has applied and transformed the piece throughout the years: first as an underscore for an animatronic-show, then as a marketing strategy, and finally as the soundtrack of a thrill ride.
Transcript
Recommended Citation
Schreurs, Maria, "The Everlasting Dance of Death: The Legacy of Saint-Seäns’s Danse Macabre in De Efteling" (2025). Theme Park Music and Sound. 4.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/tpms/2025/friday/4
The Everlasting Dance of Death: The Legacy of Saint-Seäns’s Danse Macabre in De Efteling
In 1978, Dutch theme Park De Efteling opened Spookslot, an animatronics-show that transported the guest to a haunted churchyard. As impressive as the original show was, arguably the most memorable aspect of Spookslot was its music. Instead of composing an original soundtrack – as later would become the norm for De Efteling – the show was set to Camille Saint-Seäns’s symphonic poem Danse Macabre (1875). While Danse Macabre is not the only piece of classical music heard in De Efteling, it is by far the most memorable and enduring. For many Dutch people, Danse Macabre and The Efteling are synonymous.
When De Efteling announced in early 2022 that Spookslot would be demolished in favour of a thrill ride, this decision sparked outrage. While people were rightfully upset about the disappearance of a historically significant attraction, many people also mourned the potential loss of Danse Macabre. However De Efteling soon announced that Saint-Saëns’s symphonic poem would not only be preserved in the new attraction, but that the ride itself would also bear its name: Danse Macabre.
Now that Danse Macabre has opened to the public, this presentation will closely examine Saint-Seäns’s Danse Macabre and how this composition has woven itself into the cultural heritage of De Efteling. I will do so by examining how De Efteling has applied and transformed the piece throughout the years: first as an underscore for an animatronic-show, then as a marketing strategy, and finally as the soundtrack of a thrill ride.