What a great workshop, Donald. Thanks for the memories!
Over 44 years ago, in 1972, the country was rocked by the "Watergate" scandal. The break-in at the Watergate hotel by the Republican National Committee that lead to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.
Since then, a host of other scandals all over the world began to be referred to with the word "gate" as a suffix. There were hundreds throughout the years, some of which were: Nannygate; Travelgate; Chinagate; and one of the most recent in the sports world - Deflategate.
But long before any of those "gates" came into the lexicon, I remember the most glorious "gate" I ever knew. As I searched the recesses of my memory, in Donald Davis' workshop Saturday, one particular image came into my mind.
During my summer years of high school, I attended Interlochen National Music Camp, an arts camp in Michigan. I studied drama and dance there. The boy's section of camp was on the opposite side of the road (and far away) from the main campus, and the girls' cabins.
There were two entrances to the girls' cabin area, on one side of the mess hall building was the "main" gate that most of the gals would use. But on the other side of the mess hall was a special gate that was designated for gals and guys to "say goodnight" after they had been on a date. This was established so those who had not been on a date would not feel embarrassed to walk through many sets of couples in various states of hugging and kissing. THAT was "Date Gate!"
If the gal you were with headed toward the main gate, it was a quick, cool, "I had a nice time", handshake and goodnight and good riddance.
But...if she held your hand and wandered towards Date Gate, then you knew you were headed to heaven!
You see, on the main campus, in concerts and performances, there were rules about physical contact. It was verboten!
But the one place where contact was permitted was at Date Gate. There in the tree lined wilderness, under the evening cover of darkness, and the rustle of the leaves, there was a lot going on, sometimes with the assistance of a sturdy tree to lean against. Probing tongues, roving hands, some of the most ingenious moves occured while couples remained vertical! "Ah wilderness, where paradise enow!"
So, thanks Donald! Thanks for allowing me to revisit Date Gate, even if it was only in my mind!
- National Storytelling Network? You should be.
This year's NSN National Storytelling Conference will, once again be in Kansas City, Missouri. This year, there are special Performance Opportunities June 29 - July 2, 2017. NSN is offering these story showcases during the daytime sessions (opposite workshops and other options) for storytelling producers and organizers and all who wish to enjoy storytelling performances.
Join our January story lab call.
Passing along this great tip from Donald Davis, offered at his workshop last week. This is only a "smidgeon" of what Donald taught during the all-day workshop. Here's the gist.
