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Welcome to my website! Storytelling allows the Listener and Teller alike to enter into a world together and yet allows each to experience the journey on his or her own. I hope you enjoy your journey through my site, and that we have a chance to sit and swap tales soon! Walk in Peace, Rona Summer Storytelling Institute Retreat for Adults! Calendar | Performances | Workshops and Residencies | Keynote Addresses | Funding SUMMER 2010 PROGRAM SCHEDULEPLEASE COME TO HEAR RONA WEAVE SOME TALES…. OR INDULGE IN ONE OF HER ADULT WORKSHOPS! JUNE June 1 Forest Park Middle School, Springfield, MA (private event) Grades 6 and 7 Contact Rona for info and permission to attend June 18 Square One Pre-School, Springfield, MA (private event) End of year celebration with families! Contact Rona for info and permission to attend June 21 CH Booth Library, Newtown, CT – TWO SHOWS! Contact Margaret Brown at 230-426-3851 or e-mail her at chbya@biblio.org 4:00 PM - Rona returns for the second consecutive year to kick off the summer teen Summer Reading Program with their traditional “Cool Drinks and Cool Stories”! We had a blast last year! Come join us! This years show is called: Mysteries, Puzzles and Mind Twisters: Stories to Ponder and Play with! Free! 7:00 PM – Adult Show: Stories at the Heart of Ourselves - a savory stew of stories about life, love, loss and laughter! Free! June 26 Peru Library, Peru, MA Contact Kimberly Wetherell at 413-441-3697 2:00 PM – Rona will help kick off the Summer Reading Program with her show Earth Celebrations!. She will select from her large repertoire of multi-cultural tales and songs, infusing drama, movement, and audience participation, creating a joyful sense of community! Packed with stories and songs about our animal friends, personal responsibility, conservation, environmental awareness, interdependence and taking care of the earth…. fun and engaging! This is a family show – free! June 28 – July 1 – History Alive!: Connecting Past to Present Through Active Engagement This is a graduate level course for teachers through New England College in Henniker, NH as part of their Summer Teachers Institute. Sweet campus, fun course! Guaranteed to get your creative juices going so you’ll be ready to hit the ground running come September! There is still space available – sign up soon! Contact Christine Barber-Smith at 603-4280-2340 for info or e-mail her at cbsmith@nec.edu JULY July 6-9 Rona will be off in the woods with kids – backpacking, rock climbing, teaching leadership skills and, of course, telling stories! July 11 A Day for Blue, Wrentham, MA Contact Rona for more information This is a day of informal storytelling and story sharing to honor Brother Blue (Dr. Hugh Morgan Hill) who “joined the ancestors” last fall. Please join us for this sweet honoring of a man who lived and breathed stories… and encouraged all of us to honor the storyteller in ourselves. July 16/17 Nantucket Atheneum, Nantucket, MA – TWO PROGRAMS! Contact Maggie Sullivan at msullivan@nantucketatheneum.org Or Amy Jenness at ajenness@nantucketatheneum.org Or call 508-228-1110, Ext 104 or 118 Rona will present two programs: Friday, July 16, 7:00 PM Travelin’ Shoes: Stories from Near and Far! A Family Storytelling Extravaganza Sit back, put your feet up and join Storyteller Rona Leventhal for a journey around the world and back! Rona is one person, but many voices. Through her, skies talk, turtles sing, and magic happens! She’ll have you dancing, swaying in your seats, making funny noises, singing, and laughing, as she shares stories from the silly to the serious, from the mysterious to the monstrous. So get your travelin’ shoes on and come on board! This is Rona’s second visit to this lovely island after two successful Halloween shows in October 2009 Free! Saturday, July 17, 9:00 Am – 12:00 PM Moving the Body, Freeing the Mind: The Art of Storytelling A Workshop for Adults and Teens Stories are powerful tools because they make a personal and emotional connection for the teller and the listener. Here’s your opportunity to learn how! Experience a story from the inside out! Through movement, voice, visualization and exploration we will work as a group and in pairs to play with story, discover the essence of characters and see how it influences the telling of your tale. Emphasis will be on finding your own style and strengths as a storyteller. Come ready to grunt, laugh, and take risks in a safe environment. Participants will leave the workshop with a story to tell. Wear comfortable clothes for moving! This workshop is for teachers, therapists, educators, public speakers, lawyers, religious leaders or anyone who wants to discover their creativity and develop an ease with communication and expression. Free! All Welcome! July 19 Ames Public Library, N. Easton, MA Contact Catherine Coyne at 508-238-2000, Ext 4 or e-mail her at CCoyne@easton.ma.us 4:30 PM – Rona will help kick off the Summer Reading Program with her show Earth Celebrations!. She will select from her large repertoire of multi-cultural tales and songs, infusing drama, movement, and audience participation, creating a joyful sense of community! Packed with stories and songs about our animal friends, personal responsibility, conservation, environmental awareness, interdependence and taking care of the earth…. fun and engaging! This is a family show – free! July 30 National Storytelling Network’s annual conference in LA!! All Regions Concert Friday evening, 7:30 - 9:30 PM Rona was selected by NSN to represent the Northeast Region of the U.S. She will tell the story “Not Our Problem”, a traditional tale from southeast Asia. Hope you can come! The conference runs from July 29 – August 1. Go to www. Storynet.org for information /conference/index.html for information on the confernce. AUGUST August 4 Mohawk Regional School District, Shelburne Falls, MA Environmental Education Made Easy! A Professional Development Workshop for Teachers Instilling a sense of wonder in kids is one of the keys to a more meaningful, in-depth study of our natural world. Making the learning fun is the other key. Join Rona as she shares activities and ecological concepts, including interdisciplinary programming such as drama, movement, art, songs, and stories. Language arts integration, the development of critical skills, sensory awareness, a discussion about the difference between environmental education and science education and some EE resources will be included. Wear loose, comfortable clothes and come prepared for appropriate weather. PDP’s provided through Mohawk Regional for Mass teachers. There is still space . Sign up soon! 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM – meets at Greenfield Community College, Greenfield, MA August 6-8 Rona Leventhal’s Summer Storytelling Institute Retreat! Moving From Images to Words: The Art of Storytelling This three day workshop/training takes place in the beautiful Western Massachusetts hilltown of Leyden at the Angel’s Rest Retreat and Conference Center (http://www.angelsrestretreat.com). The center has a spacious light-filled workshop space, great accommodations, tasty meals, two hot tubs and a swimming pool! Three days to immerse your self in story, storytelling, improvisational movement and theatre , vocal and character exploration. Lots of fun! Please see short description above (July 17 – Moving the Body, Freeing the Mind) or better yet, check out the Institute page on this web page! www.ronatales.com/events.html Learn a lot, Laugh a lot! There is still space available - sign up early for preferred accommodations! * Sign up with a friend and you will each get a $25 discount! * Bring your partner along for some R&R for a small additional fee! Twenty – yes, 20! – PDP’s provided for Mass. teachers!! Certificate of completion available for teachers of other states. August 10 Massachusetts Teachers Association Conference, Williams College, Williamstown, MA For information go to: http://www.massteacher.org/teaching/conferences/conferences_su mmer.cfm Rona will facilitate two workshops: Cooperative Games to Enrich Classroom Culture (AM Session) We want our students to work cooperatively. But how do we instill those qualities in them? The games in this workshop will give your class a foundation from which to work when discussing what “cooperation” means and a reference points for when difficulties occur. They also may improve communication skills, encourage appropriate risk taking, develop a culture of sharing and much more. Come play and take away essential, but overlooked, skills. Loose, comfortable clothes. Storytelling, The “New” Curriculum Frameworks!: How to Have Fun and Motivate kids to learn (PM Session) Want to improve students’ reading/ writing? Want to engage your students’ interest when introducing new concepts? Never want to hear, “I don’t know what to write about!”? No problem! We’ll start with a simple model for creating stories, then use that model to create stories to teach curricula topics. Energize your teaching and have fun doing it! We’ll also discuss why storytelling is important to the educational process. Highly participatory! Wear loose, comfortable clothes. August 11 Whately Library, Whately, MA Contact Tiffany Hilton at 413-665-2170 or e-mail her at library@whately.org 5:30 PM – Outside with a fire (weather permitting)! Rona will help kick off the Summer Reading Program with her show Earth Celebrations!. She will select from her large repertoire of multi-cultural tales and songs, infusing drama, movement, and audience participation, creating a joyful sense of community! Packed with stories and songs about our animal friends, personal responsibility, conservation, environmental awareness, interdependence and taking care of the earth…. fun and engaging! This is a family show – free! August 12 Thayer Public Library, Braintree, MA Contact Elisabeth Strachan at 781-848-0405 or e-mail her at estrachan@braintreema.gov 3:30 PM – Rona will help kick off the Summer Reading Program with her show Earth Celebrations!. She will select from her large repertoire of multi-cultural tales and songs, infusing drama, movement, and audience participation, creating a joyful sense of community! Packed with stories and songs about our animal friends, personal responsibility, conservation, environmental awareness, interdependence and taking care of the earth…. fun and engaging! This is a family show – free! August 21 Dance New England Summer Camp, Freedom, NH Go to http://dne.org/camp/2010/ for information Rona will present a workshop for adults: Story Bag: Tales that Teach Ever wish you had just the right story to pull out during a debrief, as a motivator, to help deal with a behavior issue, set the scene or to introduce a lesson/concept/topic? Short teaching tales are powerful tools for such moments that teach without preaching….. that help people see through a different lens. And they are abundant! We will look - and listen - to many such tales, dissect them and brainstorm potential situations where they might be used. No previous storytelling skills necessary. Fun, participatory and immediately applicable… to life and to many professions – teachers, doctors, religious leaders, business folks, therapists…. Anyone who interacts with people! And some workshops for teens (improv theatre) and/or young people (shadow puppets)… details to follow! Dance New England Summer Camp runs from August 17-24th – come join us! And tell them I sent you - I may win a few free days at camp next year! PERFORMANCESRona is available for performances at Schools, Libraries, Conferences, Festivals and Special Events, Camps, Religious Organizations, Nature Centers and Organizational Events To listen to Rona's famous Mitten Rap click here! The Mitten Rap Fun Frolic and Fancy: Stories for Families! A selection of fun, educational stories from around the world! Rona Leventhal is one person, but many voices. Through her, skies talk, turtles sing, and magic happens! "Part mime, part singer, part actress, she walks her tales, talks them, sketches them with her hands, and stretches them from the ceiling to the floor"*. Rona will have you dancing, swaying in your seats, making funny noises, singing, and laughing, as she shares stories from the silly to the serious, from the mysterious to the monsterous! * Quote by Bruce Watson from the Amherst Bulletin Haunts, Haints, and Hollers: Stories for a Halloween Eve When you meet a ghost (or a 'haint'), how do you know if they are just trying to cause trouble or if they are looking for something that belongs to them? Or perhaps they are trying to teach you a lesson, or just want to play. Whatever their motives, you will visit all manner of haints, shape shifters, and mysterious events, from the spooky and eerie to the silly to the transformative! Mysteries, Puzzles, and Mind Twisters: Stories to Ponder and Play With How can you twist words meant to be your demise into saving your life? What are the clues that the wise judge uses to solve the crime? What mysterious things happen when your journey takes you to unexpected places? Join Rona as she spins tales of mysterious shape shifters, mind plays, and creative solutions to problems that will leave you pondering the stories for days! Earth Celebrations! Earth tales and songs about environmental awareness, personal action and responsibility, conservation,interdependence, and our animal friends. Woven As One: Stories and Songs About Community Working together towards a common goal; Making sacrifices to benefit the community; Celebrating similarities and differences; and the Natural community. The Silkie's Song: Stories and Songs of the Sea How the tides were made, whales, seal people and journeys through the sea. I Like Myself Just The Way I Am! A Program on Self-Esteem Feeling good enough about ourselves to succeed against the odds; Knowing and using your strengths; and Outwitting others. Go Girls! Stories of Strong Women and Girls What happens when girls and woman use their wit, wisdom and courage to get what they deserve, instruct others and get out of odd situations? Find out! Turning the Wheel: Seasonal Tales Tales to warm your toes in Winter, slip into Spring, feel the breeze on a hot Summer day and rejoice in the splendor of the Fall! Kaleidoscope Stories A selection of fun, educational stories and songs combining the above topics. Oy Vey! Stories from the Jewish Tradition Pulling from the Jewish folkloric tradition, Rona tells stories that touch on the Jewish concepts of tzedakah (giving), kavannah (intention) and living more clearly with the sacred in ourselves, others and the Earth. Holiday-specific programs are also available, such as: Hanukkah; Tu B'shvat; Passover; and Shabbat. Degas and the Little Dancer: A Story / Theater Piece A commissioned work involving story and drama that gives insight into Degas, the man, and the creation of his famous statue, The Little Dancer of Fourteen Years. Tales from Russia Enter a world that is at the same time familiar and uniquely Russian! Take a journey with a Russian Cinderella, enter into a mitten stuffed with animals, and find out what a wonderous wonder is! And what advice does grandfather have? Find out! Asian Sampler Hear stories from Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, China, India and beyond! WORKSHOPS AND RESIDENCIESFor innovative, participatory and exciting learning experiences for students, teachers and staff Storytelling Using games, movement and drama exercises, creative visualizations and other participatory techniques, Rona works with students, teachers and staff in story telling and story creating in the oral tradition. Additional workshop possibilities include exploring the many themes within a story, creating follow-up activities and curriculum integration. What Color is the Wind? Integrating the Arts into the Curriculum Discover...a new world of peanut butter air and free sounds. Explore...gibberish, poetry and storytelling. Become...a glacier or recycled paper.
Family and Oral History This program teaches interviewing skills and looks at the human touch in history and stories. Storytelling techniques are applied. For grades 4 and up. Older students may work on an historical figure piece. Creative Writing Movement, drama, drawing, trust exercises, the environment, green slime, our senses and more are used to creates stories and poems. Improvisational Movement and Drama Expands the creative mind and body, and improves public speaking, listening and spontaneous thinking skills. Environmental Education Programs incorporates hands-on learning through activities, games, storytelling, movement and drama, poetry and exploration. Hold On! Building Cooperative Classrooms Uses games and activities that promote an understanding of group dynamics, positive communication and cooperation. Notes to Workshops and Residencies In each program, Rona tries to use various art forms (movement, drama, oral/linguistic exercises, singing and drawing) that incorporate several modalities of learning to appeal to a wide variety of students' needs and learning styles. This allows for a student to expand his or her comfort level from one modality/area, such as movement, to another, such as writing. This transference of skills is the importance of multi-modality learning and using arts in education. In all, this philosophy provides a strong motivational element for students and is one of the vital connections between oral and written language in Rona's work. KEYNOTE ADDRESSESRona is available for making featured presentations at conferences that will engage the audience, challenge them in a non-threatening way to think critically and creatively about their work,inspire them to take their skills and knowledge back to the classroom to be more effective educators, and reinforce for them the incredible impact that they can have in the lives of children. Presentations can be used to "jump-start" a conference, invigorating the participants to fully engage in the workshops or to bring closure to a gathering. Some suggested Keynote titles are:
Rona is an approved artist with the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Alaskan Arts Council, the Utah Arts Council and BOCES (New York) and is eligible for full or partial funding through these organizations. Upcoming Events | Performances | Workshops and Residencies | Keynote Addresses | Funding Welcome | A Story for You | Contact Us © Copyright 2008 |
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