Do you remember when you were a kid and stood still, eyes wide open, starring at a person telling you a story... It could have been your grandma or grandpa, or your mother or father, or your school teacher... And the stories would have been real, or fictional... And they had a magical aura or influence in you... You couldn't stop listening, you wanted to know more and more. When the story ended, more often than not, you wanted that magical moment to continue, to stay eternal...
How often do you still have this experience as an adult? How much time do we spend in listening to live story telling? How much do we know of its influence in the creation of theatre and film productions, or of amazing writings?
At Beyond The Borders Story Telling Festival, St Donats Castle, Wales, all who went, I am sure, children and adults alike, experienced that magical eternal stage when listening to the various wonderful stories being performed throughout the weekend. Music, more often than not, was present in the stories, making them even more magical, more meaningful, more enigmatic... Being there myself, it was like returning to that child I left behind, that inner inquisitive wanderer that loved stories... From the tales of the brothers Grimm to Persian heroic ones; from incredible circus theatrical story telling to Shakespeare characters played by vegetables or kitchen pots... All performed by high quality spirited artists that have made story telling, music and theatre their livelihood. There were also real stories being told, all very moving in their own right, very different from each other, but equally meaningful.
I could not see all performances, unfortunately, but the highlights for me, during the festival included: Nicole et Martin: an incredibly skilled, gracious and heartfelt family circus from Switzerland, performed mainly by couple Nicole and Martin, each experts on the art of acrobatics, theatre, music making, comedy and story telling. Their child (probably no more than 3 years old) gave an impressive performance as well, which made me feel smaller than him... standing on his father's hands, 3 meters high, without the slightest hesitation...wow.
The Company of Story Tellers: the 'pillars' of story telling in the UK ... I would say, given their long standing professional career as story tellers, teachers, writers and amazing, high quality performances. It comprises Ben Haggarty, Sally Pomme Clayton and Hugh Lupton. They performed 'The Tree Snake Leaves' accompanied by musicians Dylan Fowler & Gillian Stevens. It was a two hour performance (with a 15 minute break), and I can tell you, none in that room got bored, tired or did not like the story... Their performance, beautifully crafted, word by word, sound by sound, movement by movement on a stage situated in a 15th century room of the castle, and decorated by a lovely embroidered carpet hanging behind the performers... well, it really felt amazing and I was again, like a child, transported to the wonderful story I was being told. And what a story that was! One of my favourites indeed!
The Ramshacklicious: 'one of the best loved acts on the Street Theatre Circuit', reads the programme. And certainly they were! I saw them 3 times! And each time I could not get enough! They were hilarious, amazingly creative, talented musicians as well as actors and comedians... their 'fink soup' set was the best for me. With a moving stage of vintage technological scientific/musical artefacts that made funny weird sounds and music come out of them, they dressed with 'futuristic' vintage costumes and simulated to be creating the most sophisticated of scientific discoveries/experiments, not only with the creation of their own musical tracks (which they did, with a dubbing machine, a cello, percussion and voice) but by devising them from your own brain... :).
And last, but not least, the wonderful She'koyokh klezmer/balkan band from London. Fiddle, Clarinet, guitar, bass, voice and percussion played with the out most sophistication, grace and wit which seduced and inspired everyone that watch them live twice at the festival, and made them dance, indeed! :)
Why is Story Telling not as popular as live music or theatre or films? Story telling is the great grandfather/mother of all of the performing arts... It is their pillar: without a story, what do you sing about? what do you film about? what do you dance about?
I was so happy to have witnessed the continuation of a tradition that dates thousand years; a tradition that was inspired by our ancestors, and their ancestors... through travels, through craft making, through healing and play, through heroic epic stories, through nature...
Lets not just hope this continues but join in as well in the making and promotion of this wonderful art! :) x
Information about the festival here: http://www.beyondtheborder.com/
More pictures of the festival:
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| Coming down from camp site |
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| Wood Path between camp site and festival. |
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| Wood Path between camp site and festival |
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| Fire Show, 'Let the Spirits Awake!' Sunday evening |
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| 'Ave Fenix' Fire Show, Sunday Eve :) |
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| Family Tent, waiting for Nicole et Martin show to begin |
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| Family Tent, waiting for Nicole et Martin show to begin |
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| Hand made lantern :) |
