Between Symbol and Silence: Rhythm, Ritual, and How the Italian Tambourine Can Redeem the West
Publication information:
Abstract
Carved into the cliffs of Sicily’s Nebrodi mountains, a small village preserves a ritual said to predate Christianity. Torch-bearing priestesses clad in black and red and the rhythmic echo of tambourines provide a connection to the earliest Western spiritual practices of Ancient Greece and the larger Mediterranean, concealing profound mystical and initiatory meanings. Through an exploration of ritual symbolism and the music of the Southern Italian tarantella—a folk music that veils its deeper purpose—I aim to recompose a song of Western spirituality, reconnecting us to divine mystery and the cosmic roots we long to touch.
Presenter Biography
Sofya Yampolsky is a graduate of St. John’s College’s Graduate Institute, where she earned an MA in Classics. She is a perennial student of flamenco dance and of the Western Hermetic tradition. She holds a prior MA in Critical Media Studies from The New School for Social Research.