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"There
is wisdom in the old tales, and in the tales of the old, that hold
truths Diane Ferlatte is at the forefront of the multicultural renaissance of the oral tradition as she augments inventive stagecraft with the actor´s skill at expression, gesture, and intense emotion, to create multiple characters for each story. Embracing her role as a traditional preserver of folk history, culture, and values, she weaves tales from many cultures, while naturally many of her stories have African, Southern, and African-American roots. In her performances, the multi-talented Ferlatte sings, signs (American Sign Language), uses percussive instruments, and is frequently accompanied by Erik Pearson on banjo and guitar. With a repertoire of hundreds of stories and songs, she tells folk-tales, fables, legends, historical, contemporary, and personal stories for all ages. The program/workshop selections that follow are available upon request. Each program can be scheduled from 45 to 90 minutes in length. Workshops can be from 90 minutes to 4 hours in length. PROGRAM SELECTION
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Diane has co-authored and performed in several theater pieces. Along with colleague Beverly Patton-Miller, she developed a one-woman show, Sapelo, Time is Winding Up. This show evolved after her month long immersion in the West African Gullah folk culture on Sapelo Island, one of the Georgia Sea Islands. She tells the stories of life in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo through her characterizations of the slave descendent residents there. She continues to maintain her love and affection for the people of Hog Hammock and has returned there annually for the past ten years. In collaboration with other artists she has developed and performed in other projects including the Memory Project, Dreaming Backwards, commissioned for the San Francisco Exploratorium. Along with Joanna Highgood of ZACCHO Dance Theater and Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, Diane worked on and toured in Invisible Wings, a commemoration of slaves seeking freedom on the Underground Railroad. CRITICS
CORNER "The
writing was excellent, her characters were well drawn and were executed
beautifully" "It
was the best session we´ve had in twenty years...`I had
tears in my eyes, I could really imagine "Ferlatte´s
presence, her performance, her style, her music, her rhythm, and
the way she moved from one character to another, in a one woman
show atmosphere, thrilled the audience and made history come to
life" "`Sapelo´was
a truly moving experience...your artistry helped us to all `go
there´ and in |
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Bringing
Stories to Life Culturally
Speaking
Stories
as a Teaching and Survival Tool for African Americans Sheroes
and Heroes Combining
Song and Story What
a Character! Let´s
get the Rhythm of the Hands Let´s
Get Personal CRITICS
CORNER "It
was wonderful to be reminded of the power and richness of the `simple´
art of storytelling" "It
inspired me to see some of the events from my own life as stories
worth telling" "Many
of the participants stated that they felt you were the highlight
of the two day training. They were motivated to energize and invigorate
the storytelling they already do with young children in their classrooms
every day"
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"Time
and again stories reveal to us the common threads of our imaginations,
While Diane loves to tell stories to adults and families, school performances are what she loves the most. It is here that she feels she has the greatest impact as the stacks and stacks of letters, drawings, thank you notes, and handwritten stories from thousands of school children attest to. Her vast repertoire and ability to relate make her equally popular with all ages from pre-school through high school. Singing and signing (American Sign Language) are an integral part of these performances. While many performances can be theme oriented along the program types listed above, Diane´s main focus is to promote reading-readiness, visual imagery, imagination, and character/moral development. Diane gets so many call backs it is sometimes difficult for her to keep track of what stories she has told at what schools. The following is typical:
School performances run from 45 minutes to one hour depending on the age and grade level. School appearances generally consist of one to three assemblies, depending on the school size and grade levels involved. Storytelling
a Teaching Tradition Literary skills--improves all aspects of language arts skills and vocabulary expansion. A sense of story structure and the telling and retelling aids reading and writing skills as well as oral skills. Emotional development--self esteem, self-confidence--stories provide role models for encountering and overcoming adversity. Learning to tell their own stories enhances self-esteem and builds confidence in public speaking. Stretching the Imagination--When you use words alone to weave images, the child soon learns the way into the rich world of the mind. Listening skills are developed. Mental imagery links to reading achievement. Intimacy--There is a special magic in the sharing of a story with a child. This is a gift you give to children, a sharing of imaginations. History--Stories frequently focus on historical personalities, events, and eras. Social/Cultural--offering authentic experiences of other cultures, expressing diversity, introducing and promoting conflict resolution. Music--learning
to use rhythm, music, and singing as a creative, fun, and harmonious
experience. Using music and rhythm to teach generous listening.
CRITICS
CORNER "She
was like watching a movie." "Your
participation helped to link today´s children to a variety
of cultures and to become aware of the unity we all share." "We
have asked Diane to perform for Cambodian, Vietnamese, Japanese,
Hispanic, African-American, Chinese, and Hmong children. Regardless
of her audience´s cultural heritage, Diane touches the lives
of these people with power and poignancy." "I
was moved to tears feeling the impact Diane was making on all who
have the opportunity to hear her. What power an arts experience
holds! The 4th-8th graders at Mesa were riveted." |
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