*Air-tistry*

by Jack Porcello

A storytelling event is one that demands of its performer an ability to cause the audience to participate.  Devices allowed for other dramatic forms of expression are not allowed the storyteller.  Yes, some make use of costume, and others of simple props, but the real imagery produced by the storyteller is that which is conjured up in the mind of those listening.  And it is the task of the teller to provide the magic that allows for such imagery to be produced.

As a balloon artist, the ability to provide your audience with detailed representations in your latex medium is indeed a benefit.  I would encourage you to not to rely on it!  The real magic is to take that which is minimal and to build it into the spectacular in the mind of your listeners!

The first story I ever told professionally was The Stonecutter, a tale based in Far Eastern culture and often attributed to Benjamin Hoff, who indeed presented it so well in his book "The Tao Of Pooh."  At the time, I wasn't a balloon sculptor.  Therefore, I had to rely on my ability to speak descriptively in order to make the story come to life.  A few years later, once I added twisting to my performance, I attempted to create a full scale representation of the story out of balloons.  The performance didn't exactly bomb, but it didn't have the same impact.  Subsequent rehearsals and performances became exercises in balance.

Eventually, I realized that the true magic came when I presented the story in such a way as to make simplistic balloon assemblies come to life by the suggestion of my storytelling!  A simple braid of gold balloons twisted into a loop can be a crown, but from another angle the same form becomes the Sun!  Three white balloons quickly attached to each other, by the power of the spoken word, is a perfect cloud!  A few fully inflated 260 balloons grasped by one end and wiggled to and fro amidst much dancing and weaving about is the wind, of course!  And so on, through the story, each time the stonecutter's wishes transform him into that which he deems more desirable, the description of these changes allows the audience to witness the same metamorphoses in the balloons!

Now, were I to show you the balloons I use at each stage of the story and simply say, "This is the cloud," or "This is the mountain," you would most likely raise an eyebrow critically and say, "Yeah, whatever!"  But when a story is told effectively, the simple becomes grand, the common extraordinary!  A handful of balloons do so much more than a roomful of decoration, if the narrative aspect is powerful enough!

So, what are the skills of the storyteller that bring these things to life?  Well, that will have to wait until next month. when we cover the mechanics of blending the text with the audience!
 

See my website for more information, or you may e-mail me at info@airtothekingdom.org.

Until next time, I remain *Air-tistically* yours! Jack