Festival of Dionysus in the Mountain South
At the Spring Symposium on April 23rd, 6 faculty members and more than 60 students have teamed up to provide the UNC Asheville community with an opportunity to learn about ancient Greek and traditional Southern Appalachian traditions. Festival goers will have the opportunity to explore connections between the ancient Greek and traditional Southern Appalachian practices of theater, music, science, and medicine as well as the foodways and healing properties of plants from both traditions.
The Festival of Dionysus is a collaboration between faculty and students in the Classics, Drama, Health and Wellness, Biology, Mathematics, and Masters of Liberal Arts departments/programs as well as the Food for Thought cluster. It is funded by an ILS Interdisciplinary Studies Block Grant, the Breman Professorship, the Undergraduate Research Program, and the NEH Distinguished Professorship.
Festival of Dionysus in the Mountain South: What is happening when?
4:45 pm – Festival begins with a Torch Race around the athletic fields starting and ending on the outdoor track (behind the Sherrill Center). Event is hosted by Kurt Hibert and Courtney Henry (students in Dr. Boudreaux’s History of Math course and members of the UNCA Track and Field team.)
5:30 to 6:30 pm – Live Ancient Greek Theatre: performance of Sophocles’ Philoctetes, translated by Dr. Mills’ Greek Tragedy class (Daniel, Alyssa, Joe, Courtney, Kinsey, Maria and Weston) Plays are directed by Rob Berls and performed by Drama students and others. Musical accompaniment provided by Jason Wingert and alum Kevin Rumley.
6:30 to 7:15 pm – Dionysian and Southern Appalachian Feast – Menu based on recipes and ingredients from ancient Greece and from Appalachian traditions with an eye to promoting health and longevity. Planned and prepared by Dr. Lanou’s Foodways of the Blue Zones class (Shawna, Nambi, Emma, Cheyenne, Nick, Meredith, Aimee, Maija, Jess, Alannah and Kristina). Feast tables in Health and Wellness and NCCHW lobby in Sherrill Center (above Rosetta’s).
Traditional Southern Appalachian music provided by The Fruitlanders.
6:30 to 7:15 pm – Learn more about ancient Greek and Southern Appalachian traditions of science, math, medicine, and plants by viewing the Festival of Dionysus in the Mountain South posters and demonstrations in Sherrill Center second floor lobby (outside of SHE 402).
· Ancient Science and Math Posters and Demonstrations – Ever wonder what science and technology existed in the ancient world? Learn about and actually handle models built by Dr. Boudreaux’s History of Math class in and near SHE second floor lobby. (details below)
· Plants as Medicine Posters – Research presented by Dr. Clarke’s Plants and Humans class in conjunction with the Food for Thought topical cluster. (details below)
· Medicine and Healing Traditions Posters – Research presented by Dr. Wingert’s Pathophysiology of Chronic Disease and Illness class in conjunction with the Food for Thought topical cluster. (details below)
· 7:15 to 8:30 pm – Appalachian Foodways Presentations – Learn about Appalachian food traditions through presentations by Dr. Abrams Locklear’s Masters of Liberal Arts students.
· Stan Cross will discuss the importance and viability of local food systems in Western North Carolina, focusing primarily on the meat industry.
· Bill Jackson will discuss the history of trout in Southern Appalachia, including government efforts to preserve trout populations, the environmental impacts extractive industry and global warming have had on these populations, and the role that hatcheries play today in trout fishing and consumption.
· Nina Hall will draw from archival research, including interview transcripts and close analysis of photographs, to discuss how urban renewal in Asheville disrupted food access and foodways practices in the East End.
A little background:
Every spring in ancient Athens, the god Dionysus was worshipped with a theatrical festival lasting several days, at which tragedy, comedy and other literary genres were presented to the people of Athens. Every spring in Appalachia, the end of the winter is celebrated with Ramps Festivals signaling the start of the growing season and celebrating the local delicacies.
In keeping with this, Classics and Drama students will be presenting an original translation of Sophocles’ Philoctetes. All HUM 124 students are currently required to read this play and our translation was created with a view to accessibility for our audience, bringing to life what they have previously only seen on the page.
Soon after the Greeks arrived to fight the Trojan war, Philoctetes’ foot was bitten by a snake. The infection from the bite was so bad that no one could endure its smell and his cries of pain, so the Greek leaders take him to the deserted island of Lemnos and abandon him there. For ten years, he leads a wretched life, in pain and want. His only means of survival is hunting with the bow he inherited from Heracles (Hercules). Now, though, the Greeks have learned of a prophecy that Troy can be taken, but only if Philoctetes and his bow can be persuaded to rejoin the Greeks who have treated him so cruelly. And so, at the start of the play, the brilliant, but unscrupulous Odysseus and Neoptolemus, the young son of Achilles, who is eager to win glory like his father’s, have been dispatched to try to persuade or force Philoctetes to help them…
Where there are Dionysian and Ramps festivals, there is food to share. An ancient Greek and Southern Appalachian feast will be prepared and offered using recipes researched by students and in some cases adapted for modern palates or to be in keeping with the theme of rejuvenation and health. Foodways factor into our personal and collective histories and connect us to our ancestors and each other. Learn about foodways of the Mountain South from MLA students to connect more deeply to the place where we live.
The association between theatre and healing is ancient. Where there are theatres, there are temples of Asclepius, the healing god. Learn more about ancient and traditional science and medicine practices from math, biology, and health and wellness students.
Poster and Demonstration Specifics
Ancient Science and Math Posters and Demonstrations – Ever wonder what science and technology existed in the ancient world? Learn about and actually handle models built by Dr. Boudreaux’s History of Math class in and near SHE second floor lobby.
List of projects and their builders:
· Anisa Kablouti & Jack Derbyshire (Heron’s automatic water fountain)
§ Calli Jagoe & Nick Jones (Abacus)
§ Destiny Hagendorfer, Shadow Quesinberry, and John Fuge (Sundial and water clock)
§ Kurt Hibert & Courtney Henry (Distillation unit)
§ Yaw Amanfoh & Martha Austin (Linkages and Theo Jansen’s Stand Beest)
§ Eileen Johnstone, Nick Auger & Anna Goodman (Archimedes water screw)
§ Paul Schroeder & Jessi Ringley & Jason Armstrong (Heron’s fire engine water pump)
§ Art Moore, Andy Hook & Madison (Mesolabe)
§ Sandy Hussain (Islamic Geometric Design Tiles)
Medicine and Healing Traditions Posters – Research presented by Dr. Wingert’s Pathophysiology of Chronic Disease and Illness class in conjunction with the Food for Thought topical cluster.
· Kelsey Eagleburger, Michele Pierce, & Kylynn Pisani (Appalachian perspectives on cardiovascular disease)
· Jordan Presnell, Jenny Roberts, & Sarah Nelson (Ancient Greek perspectives on cardiovascular disease)
· Cayton Clark, Sarah Evans, Shonese Jones, & Abra Sickles (Appalachian perspectives on diabetes)
· Ansel Clayton, Alex Martin-Smith, & Chrissy Moran (Black Bile: The Greek’s Take on Cancer)
· Rebekah Baucom, Katie Wolcott, & Kelsey Armbruster (Knowledge and treatment of neurological diseases and disorders in Ancient Greece circa 500BCE to 300BCE)
· Julie McClure, Emily McNall, & Nicholas Belvin (Cancer In Southern Appalachia)
· Rebecca Williams & Angela Erb (Appalachian and Ancient Greek perspectives on Sarcoptes scabei)
Plants as Medicine Posters – Research presented by Dr. Clarke’s Plants and Humans class in conjunction with the Food for Thought topical cluster.
· Nick Belvin
Elizabeth Bowman
Alexander Chelmis
Christina Economou
Stephanie Edwards
Kelsey Gaffigan
Sarah Jeske
Hannah Macie
Courtney Ott
Nicholas Schavone
Taylor Shuford
Sophie Thompson
Cynthia Vargas
Alexandra Walters
For updates, reminders, and more information, join our Facebook event page: Festival of Dionysus in the Mountain South or email Amy Lanou (alanou@unca.edu).