You might be familiar with the well known Zimbabwe saying, "If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing." This is a weekend dedicated to that lesser known saying, "If you can talk , you can talk!" Storytelling, simply put, is the art of talk , an art that is woven into the fabric of our lives, and an art that can be developed for a lifetime. Why tell stories? This simple art has the potential to bring listeners of all ages the gifts of laughter, wisdom, and insight and leave them with nourished minds and spirits. A well told story can open windows of imagination; affirm our similarities and honor our differences; release a delightfully good belly laugh; plant seeds of excitement for learning; touch common cords of hope, joy and sorrow; and more. This "playshop" will be a hands on (or should we say "mouths on") exploration into the art of storytelling. In a supportive, appreciative environment, John will share clear and practical strategies for the journey of finding, creating, building, shaping, polishing and telling stories. Along the way we will touch up our stories with a "palate of colors" that includes hues of emotion, gesture and character voice, tints of movement and music, shades of humor and pathos, and performance brush strokes such as timing, dynamics, pacing, and participation. The emphasis will be on bringing out the authentic creative voice in each of us. When the week end is over, we will all have at least one or two new tales to tell as well as a template for creating many more spirited storytelling experiences.
John Porcino has been on the joyful and humbling pathway of learning how to tell a darn good story for most of his life. A teacher and naturalist, he's been a full time professional storyteller, folksinger and multi instrumentalist for 20 years, with some 200 engagements annually. He co directed Rowe's Young People's Camp, helped write the book Spinning Tales: Weaving Hope, and most recently recorded A Heck of a Way to Stay Warm: Stories and Songs That Kindle Winter's Hidden Light. For John the arts are joyful pathways toward celebrating our common humanity and empowering people to take on life with gusto. He brings to this workshop his gentle, bright, playful spirit, and the experiences of thousands of storytelling performances and workshops from California to the New York Island and from Maine to the Caribbean Islands. We are delighted to welcome John back to Rowe.