The Art of Storytelling: Myths & Motifs
*The event has already taken place on this date: Fri, 07/23/2021
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July 19 – 23
5 Sessions, 3 hours
Ages: 12 – 14
Deadline to Register: July 12, 11:59 pm
Instructor: Almeta Whitis
Tell me a tale that always was. Read me a story that I can be in…Turn me around so that I can see everything I was meant to be.” —Michael Kiwanuka, from Tell Me a Tale
Why is telling a story more important today than ever before? The intimacy and power of sharing stories hails back to ancient times when the first person stood before a communal fire engaging the community. In this class, we’ll learn how and why storytelling developed, and we’ll look through the lens of mythology—from across the globe. We’ll entertain such questions as What makes the gods of our narratives valuable to humankind’s design and imagination? and How is it that they are immortal, and why is it necessary? Through discussion, writing, and the art of storytelling, we’ll learn universal and specific elements of telling stories in ways that are lively, captivating and life-enhancing, stoking your imagination and critical thinking. Together, we’ll develop our own group story that explores the origins, purpose, and reasons for the gods to exist. This camp welcomes your personal literary, visual, musical and digital arts interests to create an innovative group storytelling form.
Almeta Whitis is a renowned storyteller, theatre artist, author, and poet who has taught on five continents. Combining diverse stories and traditions, alongside history, she encourages students to explore movement, dance, film, and the visual arts; and helps them gain knowledge of academic subjects and the world at large. Her experience as an educator, university professor, and Master Teaching Artist has resulted in many awards, among them, Phi Delta Kappa’s 1995 Lay Teacher of the Year, National Endowment for the Arts’ Most Skilled and Experienced Community Artist, and Governor Mario Cuomo’s 1993 Decade of the Child Award. She is featured in Rochester Museum and Science Center’s “CHANGEMAKERS: 200 Rochester Women Who Have Changed The World” exhibition.
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