Festival of the Muses: On the Sacred Way
Dates: Friday, August 22 – Saturday, August 23, 2025
Join us for a two-day gathering that celebrates the living spirit of the ancient Delphic Games through a contemporary lens—where myth breathes, music resounds, and the Muses rise anew. The Center for Hellenic Studies proudly collaborates with the Isadora Duncan International Institute, the Ecumenical Delphic Union, and the Committee for the Reinstatement of the Delphic Games to bring this Festival to life as it marks a vital step in the international movement to restore these sacred traditions globally. This event is free to the public and will culminate in a festive performance at 7:00pm. EST on Saturday, August 23.
Through lectures, performances, workshops, and discussions, participants engage with ancient Greek culture in vibrant, modern forms—poetry, dance, theater, sport, song, and ritual—culminating thematically in an experiential procession along the “Sacred Way.”
This “Delphic Preview” serves as a practicum for the upcoming full five-day Festival for the Reinstatement of the Delphic Games, to be held in Delphi, Greece, in Summer 2027, and extends into the Garden of the Muses, a growing archive of creative offerings in word, sound, and movement. Scholars, artists, and the public are warmly invited to attend.
Performances
The Oracular Spark
Friday, August 22, 7:00 p.m. EST
An evening of dramatic poetry, spoken word, and dance inspired by the Delphic tradition of language as ritual. Artists engage mythic texts, original verse, and embodied performance to evoke the ancient union of voice and movement. Featuring Paris Katsivelos, Jay Leeming, Kathleen Hiley, Jacqueline Fernandez, Michiyo Sato, and others.
The Muses on the Sacred Way
Saturday, August 23, 7:00 p.m. EST
An evening of dance as Delphic expression—where myth, gesture, and classical form converge. Featuring Jeanne Bresciani and the Isadora Duncan International Institute Dancers, with guest artist Cynthia Word, the program includes original works and Duncan-based reconstructions alongside contributions from additional artists.
Presented by
Panos Kaltsis, Founder and President, Ecumenical Delphic Union
Zoie Lafis, Executive Director, Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies
Jeanne Bresciani, Festival Founding Chair, Artistic Director, Isadora Duncan International Institute
with Committee Members
Rosemary Cooper, Isadora Duncan International Institute
Mary DiSanto-Rose, Skidmore College
Cynthia Word, Word Dance Theater
Read about the prior Festival of the Muses that took place at the Center in June of 2020.