by Timpanogos | Jul 9, 2019
Beth Horner is noted as a vivacious talent dedicated to providing an entertaining and empowering experience for her listeners, young and old. With a comic sensibility and warm, energetic style, Beth possesses a repertoire of stories that has been called “heartfelt, articulate and truthful.” Her stories are renowned for their high comedy and stunning drama: from her hysterical childhood farmyard escapades to eerie folktales of her native Missouri, from a side-splitting bawdy spoof on romance novels to a courageous tale drawn from her great-great grandfather’s Civil War diary, and from the humorously inspiring story of a song that motivated change in a city’s sewage policy to her comedic tour-de-force tale told with nothing but the buzzing cadences of a kazoo. A National Storytelling Network Circle of Excellence Oracle Award winner, Beth has been sought after as a storytelling performance and teaching artist since 1983. She has performed multiple times at the National Storytelling Festival, on Live From National Geographic, at Miami’s International Art of Storytelling Festival, and most recently served as narrative consultant for NASA/Johnson Space Center’s Story Mining project for which she collected the stories of the scientists behind the Apollo Space Missions. Horner’s lively, traditional storytelling style often incorporates music, creating a unique performance which critics have called “dynamite!” Each program for children, teens or adults is designed for the specific audience’s age and interests (with listener participation for young audience). An acclaimed performer for over 28 years, Beth Horner takes her listeners on journeys of adventure, warmth, wonder, haunting eeriness and raucous laughter. Beth’s goal as a storyteller is to entertain and to encourage her listeners to dip into the wealth of their own imaginations. “When you watch a story on television or in a movie theater, you see one person’s (the film maker’s) depiction of the an image – of a monster, a prince or an enraged tiger eating a buffalo chip! When you hear a story, you create that image yourself. When I’m telling stories to 50 different people, there are 50 different movies going on in the minds of listeners. Nothing is as powerful or vivid as your own imagination.” Beth came to the art of storytelling naturally, having been raised in Boone County, Missouri by a city grandmother who told her fairy tales learned from library books, an English Professor mother who introduced her to literature and poetry, a sister who starred her in farmyard productions of plays and musicals and a Farmer/Meteorologist father who regaled her with stories of her ancestors – of both good and questionable repute! Beth’s love of all kinds of stories – traditional, literary, family, musical, historical and hysterical – makes her the perfect emissary into the world of story.
by Timpanogos | Jul 9, 2019
Co-directors Nancy Wang and Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo, longstanding San Francisco artists founded Eth-Noh-Tec in 1982 and have contributed greatly to the Asian American performing arts movement. Originally named the SF Kulintang and later the Kalilang Kulintang Ensemble, in 1990, at the urging of its Board of Directors, they dissolved the traditional ensemble to concentrate entirely on their artistic venture of fusing the ancient with the contemporary. Both Artistic Co-Directors having trained and performed in traditional and contemporary art forms for over two decades, they have since enjoyed tremendous success in this focused fusion, truly meeting the goals of their name Eth-Noh-Tec: The weaving [tec] together of distinctive cultural elements of the East and West [eth] to create new possibilities [noh].
by Timpanogos | Jul 9, 2019
Dr. Rex M. Ellis is presently the Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) at the Smithsonian Institution. Dr. Ellis is charged with the responsibility for planning, developing, directing, and managing all curatorial, collections, education and outreach programs and activities. Curatorial Affairs is the primary implementing office of the museum’s mission. In this regard, the office develops preserves, documents, interprets, and makes accessible to diverse audiences the scholarship and collections of the museum through exhibitions, education, and public programs. The Museum, the first of its kind on the National Mall, is due to be completed by fall of 2015. Prior to this position, Dr. Ellis was Vice President of the Historic Area for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, where he oversaw all programs and operations. Ellis was the first African American Vice President in the Foundation’s history and served in that position for eight years. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University, a Masters in Fine Arts from Wayne State University, a Masters of Divinity from Virginia Union University, and an Ed.D from the College of William and Mary. He has contributed articles to such publications as The Journal of American History, The Colonial Williamsburg Journal, August House Publications, and History News. He is the author of two books, Beneath the Blazing Sun: Stories from the African American Journey and With a Banjo on My Knee which chronicles the history of black banjo players from the time of slavery to the present. He has memberships in the Screen Actor’s Guild, The American Association of Museums, The American Association for State and Local History, the National Association of Black Storytellers, and the National Storytelling Association. He has served as consultant to organizations such as the Midland Independent School District, in Texas; The Los Angeles County School District, Old Salem Village, the Henry Ford Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts, The National Constitution Center, Monticello, Mt. Vernon, the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and the Puerto Rican Preservation Trust. He has also worked with various institutions in Johannesburg, Capetown, Pretoria, and Robben Island, South Africa, as well as institutions in Masterton, New Zealand, Paris, France, Ghana, West Africa, and Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv, Israel. His presentations, lectures, workshops and consultancies focus on, public programming, diversity, interpretation, and African American History and culture. His disciplinary interests also include the spoken word, and early American History, with special emphasis on slavery.
by Timpanogos | Jul 9, 2019
Daniel Morden is one of the leading exponents in the art of storytelling. Daniel has delighted audiences all over the world with his performances including the Vancouver, Oslo and Yukon story telling festivals, The Hay, Beyond The Border, Bath and Cheltenham festivals and at venues such as The Barbican, The National Theatre and The British Museum. He has also worked on television and radio, and has published six children’s books. He was recently awarded the Hay Festival Medal for his contribution to storytelling.
by Timpanogos | Jul 9, 2019
Born in Dublin, Clare’s stock of tales and shows extends from her beloved Irish mythology to world folklore, anecdotes, fables, death stories, personal tales, and original stories. Her wide ranging repertoire easily meets the need of any occasion and audience. Her physical style, her dynamism and passion brings ancient stories alive, and she easily engages young and young-at-heart audiences alike. Clare has performed at the Globe Theatre, the National Storytelling Festival, and the Toronto International Storytelling Festival amongst others.
