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     Monday, October 15, 2012
Issue # 25

Got some news or information you would like to get out to the storytelling community?
Contact Mark Goldman -x602-390-3858x - Mark@Storytellermark.com

A Week of Excellence

Last week offered an amazing array of well told tales!

First off, Dustin Loehr displayed his talents as both a teller and tap dancer. This young man’s presentation of “Unconditional” was a study in excellent crafting and telling. He wrapped the tale of Echo and Narcissus around revelations from his own life, and his prowess as a tap dancer. He gave us a virtuoso, tour-de-force, performance that showed us his talents, along with his inner self. I can’t say enough good things about Dustin and his performance.
 
Cassie Cushing triumphed in her Spooky Brews, Coffee, Corpses, and Cauldrons...oh my....! She has put a tremendous amount of work into her one-woman, Halloween show. It will be presented two more times this month.
Check out the calendar for dates and times.
 
Several outstanding Valley tellers wowed us with various “haunting” stories at TWIP (Train Wreck in Progress). Sean Buvala, Mark Compton, Laura Rutherford, Bryan Lee, Cassie Cushing and the inimitable Liz Warren gave stellar performances in a quite interesting mélange of storytelling, interspersed among several musical and poetic olios.
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This Week

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Donald Davis Week

This week belongs to Donald Davis. Three concerts and two workshops will keep him going, and offer Valley tellers and students a rare opportunity to listen to him live, and learn from this Master Storyteller!

 
Check out the calendar section for all dates and times.


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Coming Up

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---------------------------------------NEXT WEEK

-------------------------------A Very Special Blossom
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Mnemonic Progressions

Ever find a great story, only to get frustrated by the inclusion of many lists of things or characters to remember? Or maybe it's a specific number with many digits, or a difficult tongue twister.

Use a mnemonic, any learning technique that aids information retention. Here are some examples: Roy-G-Biv, the colors in the spectrum of light (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet); Every Good Boy Does Fine, the notes (EGBDF) on a treble clef; or HOMES, the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior).

Find or create a mnemonic that works for you, that makes it easy to recall the information you need. In my story, Knowing Where to Tap, I need to repeat the dollar amount of a very expensive invoice. To make sure I get the number the same each time, I use the amount, $10, 543.21. Ten Thousand is a good round number, easy for me to remember. Then, I start from five and work backwards (5,4,3,2,1). "Ten thousand, five hundred, forty-three dollars and twenty-one cents." I can even visualize that number when I say it.

In Mikku and the Trees, I use an alphabetic progression to remember all the trees he encounters and what they provide: Birch/Baskets, Cherry/Pie, Maple/Syrup, Pine/Cones and Walnut/Nuts.

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Practice - Revisited by Seasoned Tellers
I have spoken a great deal here about PRACTICE.

Recently, in one of the FB groups, Karen Langford Chace asked, “How do you practice?” There were a myriad of responses. I was surprised to find that close to 20% of the tellers practice in their car. Some rehearse as they begin to nap in the afternoon, or falling asleep at night. Many practice telling in their living rooms, looking out their windows. Some practice while doing household chores; a few, practice in the shower. Several practice in front of a mirror in order to watch body language and gestures. Along with the many choices above, many play around with different voices and pacing while practicing. Many tellers use "study buddies" to practice with. This is a great non-threatening way of getting a story on its feet.

Two of the tellers often use sign language to solidify the story in their minds. This is quite interesting as many signs are actually based upon images from life. The sign for baby, for example, is cradling an imaginary infant in your arms and rocking it. I have never used this method, but I know sign language, and I may try it.
 
One of the most interesting comments came from Priscilla Howe, who “bounces a ball” to help her concentrate. This comment led to a link to something called Bal-A-Vis-X (Balance Auditory Vision eXercises), a fascinating system that helps people increase their level of concentration and focus. Check out this video to see some incredible examples of this method.
 
Oh yeah...and don't forget to PRACTICE!
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Ongoing
Events

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East Valley Tellers of Tales -Storytellers Guild
Second Saturday of each month - SCOTTSDALE
http://www.evtot.com


Storytellers Open Mic
First Sunday of each month - PHOENIX
http://www.storytellermark.com/openmic/


Odyssey Storytelling
First Thursday of each month - TUCSON (NO SESSION IN OCTOBER)
http://www.storyartsgroup.org/odyssey/Odyssey/Welcome.html


Lit Lounge - Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMOCA)
Fourth Friday of each month - SCOTTSDALE
http://www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org/smoca-events.php


CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL MONTHLY CALANDAR

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All Newsletter content ©Mark Goldman
Got some news or information you would like to get out to the storytelling community?

Contact Mark Goldman -x602-390-3858x - Mark@Storytellermark.com

 
     

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