Join Teller and Tradition bearer Shonaleigh for a unique, immersive weekend of storytelling to experience a living, unbroken oral tradition. The Druts’yla tradition has been passed down from Grandmother to Granddaughter by generations of Jewish women. Around 4000 tales are held within the mind and recalled on request, using the lost art of ‘stories within stories’. This weekend is an opportunity to gain an insight into how a culture thrived before the written word became common practice.
Starting at one point in the lattice we the listeners will guide the journey through the interlinked tales, hearing stories possibly left untold for two generations. There will be time for discussion and exploration of both the tradition and the stories.
Date of the Teller, Tale, and Tradition weekends 2017:
The Golden Labyrinth 21 – 23 April 2017
The Ruby Tree 26 – 28 May 2017
The Emerald Sea 14 – 16 July 2017
The Golem 25 – 27 August 2017
All the tellings stand alone but if you choose to journey with us on one, or more, of the weekends you will experience the thrill of old friends and foes making an appearance, and witness how the story cycles enfold one into another.
The group will be able to interact in the way it was originally intended, asking questions directly about the stories and the environment in which they were told; from finding hidden trade routes locked within the tales, to the reasons why a person might forgo a story in order to hear one of greater importance to the community.
Shonaleigh is the only known Drut’syla and the weekend will be a thoroughly unusual revival of a culture almost lost. The telling will start at 7.30pm on Friday evening and finish at noon on Sunday. It will take place within a relaxed atmosphere with plenty of cushions and sofas and tea, coffee and cake provided at regular intervals.
This is an unmissable opportunity for anyone interested in stories or in oral and lost cultures to come and help document and archive through listening, requesting stories and asking questions. There will only be sixteen places so early booking is advised.
You can find full booking Information on the International School of Storytelling web site.