"Mysteries, Initiations"

"Mysteries, Initiations" Festival is a project conceived by Włodzimierz Staniewski and realised by Kraków 2000 Office. Its first edition was one of the most important events taking place in Cracow in 2000, the year when the city was honoured by its selection as a cultural capital of Europe. It was not
a typical edition of the festival, as it was realized in two stages.

Okładka ksiązki "Misteria, inicjacje"_ Kraków 2000

The first part was held in October 1999.
The international symposium 'Mysteries, initiations" was organized in cooperation
with the Chair of Theatre History and Theory of the Polish Department, the Jagiellonian University of Cracow. It was a prologue
to the main part of the festival held a year later. For over a week there were organized presentations, workshops, lectures
and discussions on the project's theme, constituting an attempt at presenting numerous aspects of problems related
to various ritual dramatizations, their social and cultural functions, their past
(in particular pertaining to antiquity), present and future.

Dr Dariusz Kosiński, from an introduction
to "Misteria, inicjacje", published by Biuro Kraków 2000

Mysteries, Initiations Festival
Programme :

October12-16, 1999
Mysteries, Initiations, an international symposium .

Participants: Prof. Jerzy Danielewicz
(the Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland), Prof. Giovanni Cerri
(Instituto Universitario Orientale, Naples. Italy), Prof. Krystyna Bartol (The Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland),
Prof. Warren D. Anderson
(the State University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA), Prof. Annie Belis (L'Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris, France), Prof. Włodzimierz Lengauer (the Warsaw University, Poland), Prof. Michael Lambert (University of Natal, Pietrmaritzburg),
Dr Lech Trzcionkowski (the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland), Dr Rolf Geiger (Eberhard-Karls-Universität, Tubingen, Germany), Dr Anna Lazou
(Greek Dances - Dora Stratou, Athens, Greece), Dr Leszek Kolankiewicz
(the Warsaw University, Poland), Dr Zbigniew Taranienko (Poland), Dr Krzysztof Rutkowski, Priest Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Garcia Menocal (Cuba), Kunju Vasudevan Namboodiripad (Kerala, India),

Performances of "Metamorphoses"
were part of the symposium.

Performances of "Metamorphoses"



October 7-14, 2000
"Mysteries, Initiations" Festival:

Dora Stratou - Greek Dances Theatre, workshop - "Greek Folk Dances from Thessaly and the Ionian Islands", presentation
- "Introduction to the Mystery of Greek Dances";
Prof. Ferruccio Marotti (the University
of Rome, Italy), lecture - "A Myth of the Balinese Ritual and Theatre - from Artaud
to Brook" ;
Prof. Alkis Raftis (Greece),
lecture - "A Short History of the Greek Dance from the Ancient Times";
OO-OONAH Art. Center Cultural.
Exchange Dancers from Taos Pueblo.
Dances of the Indians from Pueblo Taos;

Dances of the Indians from Pueblo Taos

Samaveda's singers (India),
workshop "A Technique of Samaveda's Singing" - presentation - "Samaveda's Songs";

A Technique of Samaveda's Singing" - presentation

Samaveda's Songs

Kunju Vasudevan Namboodiripad (India), lecture - "Jaiminya Samaveda: its origins, style and context";
Galata Mevlevi Music and Sema Ensemble (Turkey), workshop "The Dances of the Whirling Dervishes",

The Dances of the Whirling Dervishes

presentation "Lost in Ecstasy
- Sema Ritual and its Mystic Music" ;

Sheik Nail Kesova (Turkey),
lecture - "Introduction to Sufism : Philosophy, Religion and Music";
Jagüey Group (Cuba),
workshop "Body Techniques in Afro-Cuban Rituals",

Body Techniques in Afro-Cuban Rituals

presentation - "Roots - Afro-Cuban Ritual Dances";

Afro-Cuban Ritual Dances

Prof. Richard Schechner
(USA, the University of New York),
lecture - "A Meaning of Ritual in the Modern World - Passing On the Ritual Wisdom" ;
Meeting with Dr Krzysztof Rutkowski, lecture - "Writing and Ritual. From Passages to Parables";
Prof. Włodzimerz Lengauer
(the Warsaw University, Poland),
lecture - "On the Ancient Greek Mysteries" ;
Ensemble Kerylos (France),
concert - "Music of Ancient Greece
and Rome"

concert - "Music of Ancient Greece and Rome"

A Special event for selected audience
(in the Wysoka
n. Jordanów estate):
A ritual of Santeria, an Afro-Cuban cult performed by a group from the Province Guantanamo, Cuba.


The screening of films about Gardzienice and performance of 'Metamorphoses' were part of the festival.