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The breath of lifeThe magic within the story that we tell ourselves.
The setting is a centre for refugees in a small town in the Netherlands. Almost all the children in the centre and many adults have turned up for the performance by storytellers from the storytelling network - The Ring of Turquoise. Old or young, western or eastern, girl or boy, our fascination for stories and storytelling has always been as widespread as the very air we breath. Topaz asked the storytelling couple Mike and Marlies Woudstra why this might be?
Mike: ‘Another reason for the love of stories can be found in the way the human systems work. The emotions get nourishment from timeless stories about human qualities such as courage, justice and faith. I believe that the human brain loves continuity, which in these rushing times of start-stop gets severely underfed. Stories promote continuity, stillness and inner reflection – they can allow us to feel ourselves. And not to forget the imaginary part of the mind that loves to hear stories about the future, what is yet to be, what might happen... In most cultures throughout the world the art of storytelling was an integral part of life. In times past, family visits lasted perhaps three days instead of three hours and stories were an essential part of the natural exchange between people. Today, television has tended to replace this art, although interestingly there is a gradual resurgence of storytelling in many countries.’
Mike and Marlies are members of the international storytelling network “The Ring of Turquoise” (the colour turquoise refers to wisdom from ancient times), which was established by Ifat and Rami Zor in Israel in 1995. Since then, it has grown into an international network of storytellers active in Europe, Israel, America and New Zealand. Together with Ian Philips, Marlies and Mike lead The Ring of Turquoise in the Netherlands.
What is the main training of a storyteller? What kind of performances do you do? Mike: ‘This is why we are so interested in people’s own stories. We have trained ourselves to be good listeners. Elderly people often have remarkable stories that contain qualities such as decency and courtesy that were much more a feature in their generation than now. Different nationalities champion different qualities and characteristics. Like the storytellers of the past, we try to champion parts of the human story that are in danger of being forgotten or becoming extinct. In a fast changing world it is important to preserve our great heritage, while we also look forward to the stories yet to be told. In August, members of the international network met together in Holland and toured the country, visiting and performing at various events, in retirement homes, a children’s hospital, theatres, refugee centres and in a special storytelling tent in the marketplace in Gouda.’
Mike: ‘You could say that the storyteller is a historian who draws from the best of the collective bank of human experience, preserving these vitamins and passing them on to the next generation so that they may have the best inheritance for their own futures. From another perspective, the storyteller is the mediator between what is and what has not happened yet, other than in the imagination of the human mind. When I look at people in a workshop or during a performance, I often see a glow appearing on their faces, young and old alike, as if at that moment something in the atmosphere causes a great wellbeing. These are moments of a special grace when it feels that people are listening with more of themselves than just their ears. These moments are precious and timeless and no one wants the story to end. But then the storyteller rings the bell...’ Interview by Lotten Kärre |
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The storyteller moves slowly to the chair. He wears a t-shirt with a dragon
on it and carries a floppy hat in his hand. Having seated himself, he pauses
a moment, gathers attention and waits for silence. A hundred pairs of ears are
alert to the story about to begin and that already seems to hang in the electrified
atmosphere of the room. There is a moment of suspense. Carefully he puts on
the hat and bends towards a table to ring a little bell.
Marlies:
‘There may be many reasons for this. Fundamentally you could say that
each human life is a story in itself and that we all are on earth to develop
and tell our own story. Why are some people so diligent in keeping diaries?
Is this not the story that they tell themselves about their lives. The question
is - what stories do we seek? Inside the Ring of Turquoise, stories are an attempt
to capture the exceptional in the ordinary. Eventually it leads to the realisation
that human life is one ongoing set of exceptional experiences - if we have the
eyes to see them.’
Mike:
‘The core mission of The Ring of Turquoise is to promote and stimulate
natural communication via the art of storytelling, which we do through performances
and workshops. A broad range of people come to these workshops, some simply
want to improve their freedom in human interaction and others come for reasons
linked to their professions - like teachers and child carers or those working
with elderly people. The magic of storytelling is that it liberates you into
new ways of perceiving and expressing life.’
The
storyteller in The Ring of Turquoise is on a personal development journey. Telling
stories is like planting seeds (qualities and perceptions) into the fertile
soil of human consciousness. Think of the well-known story about the steadfast
‘Tin Soldier’ and other universal favourites - the storyteller must
work to understand and embody the qualities within the stories to be able to
successfully bring others into the experience.’
All
religions have their oral traditions, and likewise all nations have their epics
and sagas that pass from generation to generation. What do you see the function
of the storyteller to be?