May 5-7, 2006
You might be familiar with the well-known Zimbabwe saying, “If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing.” The lesser-known saying, “If you can talk—you can talk!” points to how storytelling is the art of talk—an art woven into the fabric of our lives, 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 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, and touch common chords of hope, joy, and sorrow.
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 participants will touch up their stories with a palate that includes hues of emotion, gesture, and character voice, tints of movement and music, shades of warmth and humor, and performance brush strokes such as timing, dynamics, pacing, and participation. The emphasis will be on bringing out the genuine creative voice in each of us. When the weekend is over participants will all have at least one new tale to tell and a well-developed template for creating many more darn good stories.
Long ago John Porcino accidentally stumbled into a storytelling class and a few years later his love for this simple, rich art form led him to hang-up a shiqngle saying “Storyteller Musician.” Thousands of performances and workshops later, his facility with and love for this art form has only deepened. Much of his training came from creating zany and touching moments at Rowe’s Young Peoples’ Camp, Liberation Camp, and Kindred Spirits. He is co-editor of the award winning book Spinning Tales: Weaving Hope, contributed to The Healing Heart and Joining In, wrote feature articles in Family Fun magazine, and recorded A Heck of a Way to Stay Warm. John has taught thousands of people over the last 23 years as a full time professional storyteller and musician.
“All 10’s on a scale of 1-5.”
“I never thought that one person could inject so much wisdom, enthusiasm, and teaching into 90 minutes.”
“Best presentation I’ve attended in 23 years of teaching—very motivating and humorous.”
“Truly delightful human being whose sheer humanity shines through everything he does. Terrific communicator, inspirer, and teacher.”
“Wow, Yippee, Yahoosarooske! Picture a 27-year-old woman jumping up and down inside her heart.”