Ariadne

The inspiration for this work was my encounter with the frescoes 
inside the "Villa dei misteri" in Pompeii. There are many different 
interpretations of the frescoes, but they are predominantly believed 
to depict religious rites devoted to the god Bacchus, the Roman 
god of wine and viticulture. Bacchus was the bringer of ecstasies 
and inducer of frenzied religious, mental and physical states. Also 
known as Eleutherios (“liberator,” in Greek), Bacchus represented 
the spontaneous and unrestrained aspects of life. It was believed 
that the state of mind after consumption of wine was able to free 
the participants from social conventions and allowing them new 
ways of thinking and acting.

Using parts of Texts from Ovids "Metamorphosis" we have tried to 
recreate an imaginary rite corresponding with the frescoes. The texts 
were revised by Arne Nordheim the composer of the original music. 
The choreography is devised for seven women of which each one 
represents one stage of the ritual. They gradually descend deeper 
and deeper into a physical, emotional and religious ecstasy and 
slowly loose control over their actions....
    

                    Jiří Kylián - The Hague, August 22, 2021