Dryad's Dithyramb

Photography by Mark M. Sugino

Dryad's Dithyramb

Length: 6 minutes; Number of Dancers: 7

"In the forests of Arcadia, the spirits of the trees may evade even the gods."

This work was inspired by the life-sized baroque marble sculpture “Apollo and Daphne” created by seventeenth century Italian artist Bernini. The sculpture, depicting the climax of the story of Daphne and Apollo recorded in Ovid’s "Metamorphoses", embodies the energy of an intense chase and captures the figure of Daphne, amid her transformation, in a sublime upward spiral. The all-female cast of Dryad’s Dithyramb sought to revitalize the arrested figure of Bernini’s Daphne in both form and spirit.   

Performance History

Bardavon Opera House | Poughkeepsie, NY | March 2015

Vassar College | Poughkeepsie, NY | November 2014 & February 2015