A few things you should know before the show:
A long time ago Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, was abducted by Hades while out picking Myrtle. Demeter , beside herself with grief, went searching for her. Demeter was goddess of the earth and when the earth goddess grieves things get serious; no water, no crops, no food, no wine....
Demeter wandered searching and she came to the home of the King and Queen of Eleusis where it was her intention to rest (in disguise).
Baubo, a servant in the household, felt deep compassion for Demeter and after having given her as a special drink made from barley danced for her wildly, raising her skirt, in a wild gesture where she raised her skirt, it was said that the gesture made Demeter laugh (uproariously) bringing her out of her grief and giving her hope. The gesture is called “Ana Suromai”- to raise the skirts- the gesture is the basis for these stories.
Note: the “1001 funny things” refers to the “too numerous to count” incidents, stories and myths throughout story telling history that have as there source and meaning this powerful gesture. Elizabeth and I (early on in our work on these stories) discovered the four on which this exhibit is based : Cow Bulls, Still Waves, Blind the Devil, Defy Death.
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