Once upon a time...
Edgar Ortiz, the storyteller from Costa Rica, performed recently at the Kathotsava festival. Edgar talks to Puja Goyal on what it takes to be a good storyteller.
Dated: Sunday Vijay Times, 06 August 2006, Centrestage
STORYTELLING is an art; it is like a virtual circus, which combines energy, emotions, belief and words, and wraps them all up in the moment. Edgar Ortiz, a young storyteller, musician and acrobat, reflects that it has taken him more than 10 years to develop the technique; he adds, "While some are talented and the art is in-born, I had to study and experience storytelling myself in order to better it. Back where I stay, we had only 10 storytellers and I had the chance to observe and study all of them, and develop my own style."
The most important quality of a storyteller is to be multifaceted. He should be able to absorb other cultures and their folk tales. He should listen to stories of different places. This passion has taken Edgar to discover fantastic tales from countries like Colombia, Cuba, Canada, US, Jamaica, and Guatemala. In 2004, he organised the first international storytelling festival in his homeland.
Storytelling is all about imagination, mixed with realism and creation, and then making it your own, Edgar adds, "Most of the audience (kids and adults) come to be entertained. In such a situation having stories with messages, or sad stories reflecting on social causes do not make senseÖ the audience hopes that they will experience a faraway land and a different culture. This is why; I like to mix stories of different places together." Edgar enjoys sharing stories from his Latin American culture, and India where he has lived for more than a year. While most enjoy a good story, it is the teens who are sceptical about being entertained by storytelling. "My favourite audience consists of a mix of children and adults aka family. Adults find it difficult to enjoy a good laugh but with kids around, their faces light up."
The common man looks at storytelling as a form that transfers grandma's tales to the next generationÖ but Edgar reiterates that storytelling is more than grandmas tales. He explains, "Storytelling is not only an art, it requires preparation, one should develop his style of storytelling. A person has to do a lot of homework in order to cater to his audience. If the audience consists of 12 year olds, the storytelling format will be different etc. I would like to emphasise on quality! If the session turns out to be mediocre, no one will remember you!"
In such a case, what makes a good storyteller and can it be converted to a profession? Edgar replies, "Yes, storytelling can be a profession. There are certain pointers that every storyteller can keep in mind while practicing, One: Quality and persistence. Two: They should listen to other storytellers and find ways to tell those stories in their own style. Three: storytelling is all about listening, not reading; it is important to listen to your own stories and other individuals telling them. What sounds good while reading might not be fun listening?"
In 2005, Edgar received a bursary from the International Fund for the Promotion of
Culture (IFPC) from the UNESCO to live and work for almost a year, working with
Koothu-P-Pattarai in Tamil Nadu, the oldest theatre group from south India. n
Dated: Sunday Vijay Times, 06 August 2006, Centrestage
STORYTELLING is an art; it is like a virtual circus, which combines energy, emotions, belief and words, and wraps them all up in the moment. Edgar Ortiz, a young storyteller, musician and acrobat, reflects that it has taken him more than 10 years to develop the technique; he adds, "While some are talented and the art is in-born, I had to study and experience storytelling myself in order to better it. Back where I stay, we had only 10 storytellers and I had the chance to observe and study all of them, and develop my own style."
The most important quality of a storyteller is to be multifaceted. He should be able to absorb other cultures and their folk tales. He should listen to stories of different places. This passion has taken Edgar to discover fantastic tales from countries like Colombia, Cuba, Canada, US, Jamaica, and Guatemala. In 2004, he organised the first international storytelling festival in his homeland.
Storytelling is all about imagination, mixed with realism and creation, and then making it your own, Edgar adds, "Most of the audience (kids and adults) come to be entertained. In such a situation having stories with messages, or sad stories reflecting on social causes do not make senseÖ the audience hopes that they will experience a faraway land and a different culture. This is why; I like to mix stories of different places together." Edgar enjoys sharing stories from his Latin American culture, and India where he has lived for more than a year. While most enjoy a good story, it is the teens who are sceptical about being entertained by storytelling. "My favourite audience consists of a mix of children and adults aka family. Adults find it difficult to enjoy a good laugh but with kids around, their faces light up."
The common man looks at storytelling as a form that transfers grandma's tales to the next generationÖ but Edgar reiterates that storytelling is more than grandmas tales. He explains, "Storytelling is not only an art, it requires preparation, one should develop his style of storytelling. A person has to do a lot of homework in order to cater to his audience. If the audience consists of 12 year olds, the storytelling format will be different etc. I would like to emphasise on quality! If the session turns out to be mediocre, no one will remember you!"
In such a case, what makes a good storyteller and can it be converted to a profession? Edgar replies, "Yes, storytelling can be a profession. There are certain pointers that every storyteller can keep in mind while practicing, One: Quality and persistence. Two: They should listen to other storytellers and find ways to tell those stories in their own style. Three: storytelling is all about listening, not reading; it is important to listen to your own stories and other individuals telling them. What sounds good while reading might not be fun listening?"
In 2005, Edgar received a bursary from the International Fund for the Promotion of
Culture (IFPC) from the UNESCO to live and work for almost a year, working with
Koothu-P-Pattarai in Tamil Nadu, the oldest theatre group from south India. n
Comments