Dancing in the Labyrinth, We Find the End of Ariadni’s Yarn for the Freedom of Flight

The Iraklion School of Arts, housed at the old American base, and the Fifth Iraklion High School, presented a joint performance under the auspice of two Comenius programs, at the open theatre in Arkalohori. This open theater is shaped and modeled after the ancient Greek theaters and has excellent acoustics.

The main subject of the performance was the Minoan civilization in the framework of historical entertainment.

Mrs. Maria Kalouthioti, director of the Iraklion School of Arts, was the guiding light of the performance and without her coordination the event could not have been realized.

Mrs. Sofia Mousteraki, the coordinator of the Comenius programs, commented: “it was an occasion for us to be transported mentally into the Minoan culture, to paint, to build sets, to work with clay, to sew costumes, to learn the fables, to find comparable music and to read works which refer to that era.”

In any case, the result literally nailed the spectators; even the foreign representatives of the program from the educational institutions of Portugal, Czech Republic, Spain, Italy and Turkey. In fact, the Portuguese representative, in her letter of thanks, commented:  “I want also to thank the students of the Fifth High School and the Iraklion School of Arts. I was impressed and I was moved by this Historical Entertainment that I watched in Crete, and it has really been one of the best educational activities I have ever seen.  Everyone was so professional. I thank you all for the best hospitality in the world!”

Everyone involved managed to bypass all reality obstacles, some of them being the distance of the two schools from the venue, and the inadequate funding. The process showed that the combination of excellent collaboration and the right choices can lead to the success of the objective.

The fable adaptations moved and impressed everyone, and were wonderfully choreographed, and the students exceeded by far their capabilities with the help of the correct guidance of the professors of the Iraklion School of Arts.

The musical score, the chorus, the costume choices, as well as the sets, succeeded to capture our imagination. Also, the video production of the ancient worshiping procession taped at the Knossos archaeological site, was very imposing.

In leaving, the spectator had been entertained with the ancient Greek meaning of the word, which resulted in a kind of purging. Here, the purging climaxed in the presentation of the fable of Icarus and led us with its theatrical flying to the magical touch of freedom.

This performance will be repeated at the beginning of the new school year, on September 26, sponsored by the Gouves Township at the exhibit center, and should not be missed.

Congratulations to all the performers, and also the parent associations of both schools for their moral and material support.

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