Full Moon
Storytelling Night:

Folk Tales and Tellers from Guyana

June 1, 2011, 6:30-8:30pm 
St. Stephen's Church
E.28th St and Newkirk Avenue (East Flatbush) 

This special event outside St. Stephen's Church will feature Guyanese folk tales told by the light of the full moon. Featuring the stories of George Davidson, Winston "Jeggae" Hoppe and others from the Guyanese community with special guest tale teller Tammy Hall. Meet outside the church; in case of rain, inside the church. Presented by Brooklyn Arts Council in cooperation with the Guyana Cultural Association

VIEW EVENT PHOTOS

ARTIST BIOS

Robin Bady is a storyteller who draws upon world folklore, fairy tales, oral traditions, ghost stories and literature for fun interactive storytelling performances that educate as well as entertain. With guitar and songs, movement and madcap characterizations, she brings her stories to joyful life, creating an electric and engaging rapport with her audience. Her storytelling connects us to each other across cultures, traditions and time, powerfully reminding us that we are all members of one world family.
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Grace Chapman is an educator, folklorist and performance artist. Over the past twenty years, Ms. Chapman has developed curricula to enhance learning through use of the creative arts, with a focus on underserved student populations. Recognized as one of Guyana's leading performance artists and folklorists, she has written, directed, and appeared in several critically acclaimed productions which explore diverse themes of Guyanese/Caribbean history, culture and folklore. These presentations include The Green Bottle, Ghost at El Dorado, and Ol' Higue.

George Davidson was born in Guyana in 1938. He has lived in Brooklyn for many years, but he retains traditional folktales learned from his mother and father when he was a boy and others learned later from his wife. Some of these tales have an African lineage, such as the Nansi spider trickster tales. Others are part of a broader lineage of malevolent female shape-shifter and witch stories, such as Ole Higue (Old Hag), told in different traditions throughout the world. George exemplifies the kind of traditional storytelling that is culturally specific, learned informally and performed in intimate settings on moonlight story nights.

Tammy Hall, a former New York City teacher and advocate for literacy, has been called "Storyteller Supreme" and conducts storytelling and writing workshops throughout the greater metropolitan area. As an African-American and native of Clarksville, Tennessee, she draws from her black southern rural heritage to deliver an unforgettable tale. Listening to wonderful stories at the foot of her first and most memorable storyteller, her father, had a profound effect on her life. Ms. Hall believes storytelling to be an artistic, expressive way of bringing people together and guiding them on a journey of the world's cultures, peoples, and landscapes through imagination.

Winston "Jeggae" Hoppie is well-known in his Brooklyn community as a percussionist and poet. As a drummer for the Spiritual Baptist Church, he plays for church services, weddings, and funeral wakes. He has expert knowledge of Guyanese folk traditions in music and story. He performs traditional story genres from Guyana such as the ballad 'Uncle Joe,' the story song 'Jane Engaged,' as well as legends associated with the bottle genie called bakou.

Rajiv Mohabir is the author of two chapbooks, na bad-eye me (Pudding House Press 2010) and na mash me bon (Finishing Line Press). Published in various journals and anthologies including Saw Palm, Blood Lotus, and Kartika Review, he was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2010. Rajiv is an editor for the Ozone Park Journal run by the MFA students at Queens College. Most recently Rajiv received an American Institute of Indian Study fellowship and will be studying in Jaipur, India for the Academic year of 2011-2012.

View the event flyer View the event flyer Full_Moon_Storytelling_Jun1.pdf