Press Release
University of North Carolina Asheville
UNC Asheville will celebrate two traditional rites of spring—the Festival of Dionysus of ancient Greece and the more local and recent Appalachian ramps festival—with a unique “Festival of Dionysus in the Mountain South” on Wednesday, April 23, on campus. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore connections between the ancient Greek and traditional Southern Appalachian practices of theater, music, science, medicine and foodways.
The festival kicks off at 4:45 p.m. with a torch race on the outdoor track, followed by a performance of Sophocles’ Philoctetes, translated and performed by UNC Asheville classics and drama students, at 5:30 p.m. outside UNC Asheville’s Sherrill Center. Inside the Sherrill Center, health and wellness promotion students will present a Dionysian and Southern Appalachian feast, based on recipes and ingredients from ancient Greece and from Appalachian traditions. The festival also will include music, presentations and demonstrations from a variety of academic departments.
The Festival of Dionysus in the Mountain South is co-sponsored by many UNC Asheville departments and programs. All festival events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Amy Lanou, associate professor of health and wellness, at 828.250.2317 or alanou@unca.edu.
Thank you, but I really don’t like the attention. But please get the spelling right.