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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

THE DELPHIC GAMES RETURN TO GREECE NEXT SUMMER IN HISTORIC MYTHIC FESTIVAL

March 14, 2005. DELPHI, GREECE & NEW YORK CITY – The nation that brought the world the Olympics is reviving yet another ancient event next summer. The Pan-Hellenic Delphic Games of antiquity, which celebrated the arts, will be reawakened in an eight-day festival in Delphi, Greece, June 4-11, 2005. This historic re-inauguration will feature live world-class performances, Parabola Magazine’s Cinema of The Spirit film showings and discussions, intensive workshops by renowned artists and roundtables on the convergence of dance, music, drama and poetry inspired by the venerable tradition of the Delphic Games and the rich mytho-history of Delphi. Artists, scholars and enthusiasts from all fields are invited to participate.

Led by the Town of Delphi, Mayor Panagiotis Kaltsis, the Isadora Duncan International Institute (New York City) and the Society for the Study of Myth and Tradition (Publisher of Parabola Magazine), the Festival of The Delphic Games will offer attendees the unique opportunity to participate in a historic, yet intimate, event with extraordinary presenters on Mount Parnassus at sacred sites rarely open to the public. Workshop leaders include renowned storyteller, author and scholar of mythology Michael Meade, the distinguished dance performer and lecturer Jeanne Bresciani, Ph.D., and the acclaimed Greek-American poet Galatea Psonis. “Delphi’s universal lure, ecumenical message and legacy of freedom have never been more relevant than they are today,” said Bresciani.

With mythic portent, Mayor Kaltsis exclaimed, “I’ve waited 2,500 years for the Muse to return, and She has come,” after seeing Bresciani and her dancers perform in his city last spring. His lifelong mission has been twofold: to revive the Delphic Games, and to present them in a way that is inspiring to the modern world. The Delphic Games have been dormant since antiquity with the exception of several important instatements last century that were led by the legendary Greek Poet Anghelos Sikelianos (whose sister was married to Raymond Duncan) and his American-born wife Eva Palmer-Sikelianos, friend to Isadora Duncan. The ancient Delphic Games included competitions in the arts as well as athletics, and held the highest unified standard for the arts in the classical world. The Festival of The Delphic Games will focus on the arts in tandem to myth, and, rather than being a contest, will celebrate the inspiring landscape and the play of creativity through remarkable performances and learning opportunities.

Sanctified in prehistory by worshippers of the Mother Goddess, extending to the followers of Apollo and the Muses, Delphi was deemed the “Navel of the World.” Its celebrated oracle, active for a thousand years, received inquiries from the great and the obscure, serving as a source of wisdom and stability across the ancient Greek world. All slaves who arrived at Delphi with the ability to read and write were freed from bondage by sacred governance. For centuries, the Sacred Fire of the Oracle burned uninterrupted. Michael Meade stated, “Like the slaves who dreamed of reaching Delphi to receive their freedom, the soul in modern times seeks to reach places and times of oracular speech in order to embrace the living water of Mythos again.”

The Town of Delphi has secured a range of accommodations for participants at a generous subsidy. Fees for tuition and full accommodations begin at $1,400 (U.S.) and include all events and workshops, site admission and ground transportation (including Athens-Delphi-Athens). Airfare is not included and should be secured individually by participants. “Today, this ancient site is still a living nexus of miraculous energy, a focal point where ecstatic Dionysus and artistic Apollo meet,” said Galatea Psonis. The Festival is accepting applications for presentations and sponsorship. Visit www.idii.org for further program details and complete Festival schedule.