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