HOUSE OF HEAVEN III

Choreographer/dancer: Milena Ugren Koulas
Music/musician: George Koulas
Light design: Aleksandar Jotović
Costumes: Ase Lasarou
Supported by: Cyprus Ministry of Culture and Education

HOUSE OF HEAVEN III is the third part of choreographic research entitled Houses of Heaven. In ancient Near East Houses of Heaven were temples dedicated to various deities where sacred prostitution was common practice. This was documented by the Ancient Greek historian Herodotus. The custom was that every woman had to seat in the temple of Aphrodite and have intercourse with some stranger at least once in her life before she gets married. Once woman would take her place she didn’t go home until some stranger would cast money into her lap and had intercourse with her outside of temple. Woman could never refuse, otherwise that would be a sin. After their intercourse she was discharge to go home. Woman that were good looking were soon free to depart but other once had to wait, some for 3-4 years because they didn’t fulfill the law. This kind of custom was practice in Cyprus too in Ancient Kingdom of Paphos.