No one is certain where the character Orpheus comes from. He emerges out of the fog of time and memory in fragments; a piece of ancient Greek pottery here, a reference in a long-forgotten poem there.

The Greek myth of Danaë and Perseus shaped ancient debates about the virgin birth of Jesus and early Christian identity.

With her piece “Phoenix,” graduate student Marianna Varviani brings the hope stemming from the ancient myth into everyday life. The piece, choreographed by Varviani and performed by UCLA students, ...