Story Telling

I sent out this plea requesting stories and while I haven't gotten as many responses as I was hoping (keeping my fingers crossed that some are still on the way). I have been reminded that we are so close to a time when things were so much worse. I have received several stories of early memories that are pre civil rights. For my generation ( I forget what letter we are, "x" maybe) I think it is easy to forget that our parents and grandparents lived through an era that is so well studied in our history books that I wonder why we didn't study it in our homes. Is pre civil rights a time we are trying to forget? Perhaps there is some guilt on the side of whites whose world view has significantly changed since then. A feeling of pain for black and white people that lived through that time period. A pain they don't want to revisit. Or perhaps we have simply moved away from a story telling culture. I believe it is a combination of each of these things.

When I first started thinking about choreographing I knew that I needed to tell stories. With tv, computers, video games and movies our modern selves have devised multi-media possibilities for story telling. We know the big stories, the epic ones, the ones that someone chose to bring to the silver or small screen. But what about the stories so close to us, the ones of our parents, grandparents, and friends, these stories are so much more real. Some of these stories may seem insignificant but I know they open a window for the listener into the soul of story teller. Every one teaches us something about our past, ourselves, our families or loved ones. There is so much to learn in these stories.

I can't wait to listen and I know that your story is full of value.
Please tell me a story.