The directorial coordination of the work was done by cinematographer Manolis Papadakis, researcher Thodoris Eudaimonas in collaboration with Michalis Tsourdalakis.
Prosfygaea – The Refuge in the Protection of the Earth
In the land of Mount Ida, in a mythical past, the newborn Zeus, after his mother Rhea’s refuge, found sanctuary in the Idaean Cave, under the protection of the Kouretes and the Idaean Dactyls, and was nurtured by the goat Amaltheia, the nymphs Melissa, Adrasteia, Ida, and other mythological beings.
This first divine refugee in Greek Mythology becomes the king of the Olympian generation that dominates the Titanomachy against his father Cronus, thus inaugurating the third theogony.
In this new anthropomorphic authority of gods, mortals, and immortals, Zeus transforms from a stranger to Xenios, from a suppliant to Ikesios, and from a protected one to the hidden cave protector of asylum and hospitality in the ‘Bethlehem of Antiquity,’ the sacred pantheon Idaean Cave.
A cycle of stories, myths, and legends form the inspiration for an artistic performance of contemporary choreography, physical theater, and musical improvisation titled ‘ΠροσφυΓαία-Prosfygaea’ (Refugees). The central conceptual axis revolves around the notions of birth, protection, war, uprooting, and hope as a timeless invocation of supplication and asylum in the land of the Cretan-born Zeus.
A refuge that begins in the mythical past of Ida and continues to the historic Psiloritis of today, where it sheltered the persecuted, outlaws, rebels, illegal loves, and seekers of asylum, with hospitality as an act of customary principle and continuity.
Specifically, through a collaborative effort, actress and performer Maria Athitaki, along with performer and certified trainer Stella Melampianaki, have created a composition of contemporary choreography and physical theater accompanied by the musical improvisation of Anogeian musician Vasilis Dramountanis (mandolin).