Samodiva: The Dance of the Wild Woman

In this storytelling concert, traditional storyteller Nana Tomova draws on the folk traditions of her native Bulgaria to conjure the Samodiva in all her contradictions: huntress and healer, seductress and sister, a spirit as old as the forests she haunts.

Samodivi are of this world, and not of this world, they are bringers of health and illness, and they both build and destroy. They are however neither ‘bad’ nor ‘good’, as the divine cannot be categorised as such.

In this telling, you will meet the Samodiva in her many forms from wild woman to mother; she who seeks freedom to she who takes freedom; she who heals to she who harms. For the Samodivi, just like us, are complex beings with many multitudes.

Suitable for ages 12+

Story cautions: This performance contains descriptions of threat, coercive control, child loss and gender violence contextualised within a paradigm of mythic narrative, archetype and metaphor.

Image: Rusałki by Witold Pruszkowski, 1877 (in the public domain)

Practicalities: The Courtroom is on the first floor. The venue accessible by stairlift but cannot be accessed by those who are wheelchair bound. The nearest car park is Tulloch Park, Forres, IV36 1AY (behind the Town Hall). On street parking may be available. The event will be in two halves, with a comfort break half way through. Light refreshments will be provided.