Salmacis (R&D)
At the centre of our story is Salmacis, the water nymph, who embodies dichotomous and complex understandings of womanhood.
When Hermaphroditus, son of Hermes and Aphrodite, arrives at the secluded pond of Salmacis, daughter of Artemis, she groans and trembles, overwhelmed by sexual desire for him. As she embraces Hermaphroditus forcefully, refusing to let him go, she prays to the gods that they never be separated. The gods respond with cruelty, merging their two bodies into one.
Through song, instrumental music and dance, a team of composer, dancer/choreographer, cellist and soprano explore Ovid’s retelling of the story of Salmacis and Hermaphroditus through the female lens, examining, above all, anxieties over female power; Salmacis being ultimately punished for her masculine traits.
As she crushes her breasts and face against him and clings to him as with every inch of her surface. ‘It’s no good struggling,’ she hisses. ‘You can strain, wrestle, squirm, but cannot ever get away from me now.
Ted Hughes, ‘Salmacis and Hermaphraditus’ from Tales from Ovid.
Research and Development
The first phase of R&D, supported by UK Research and Innovation, via King's College London, involved a series of making workshops with the artistic team:
Effy Efthymiou COMOPOSITION
Jessica Summers SOPRANO
Harriet Parker-Beldeau DANCE/CHOREOGRAPHY
Mark Walkem CELLO
During this phase, we explored the musico-dramatic possibilities of the story of Salmacis and Hermaphroditus, including creative staging ideas, choreographed movements and the stylistic considerations of the musical settings.
