Monday, December 12, 2011

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
Ah – it’s school time, again – and many of my performances are in classrooms, assemblies, and residencies, so I can’t invite the general public to those. But, here are the ones you can come to

December 2011:
12/10: Scandinavian House, NYC 11AM
12/17: Kwanzaa Festival, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ TBA


February 2012
2/1: Barnegut Branch, NJ 4PM
2/1: Little Egg Branch, NJ 6:30PM
2/2: Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ 10:15, 11:15, 12:15
2/4: Manchester Branch, NJ 2PM
2/9: Hoboken Library, NJ 3:30 PM
2/11: Bernards Township Library, NJ 11AM
2/14: North Plainfield Library, NJ 3:30PM
2/15: Stafford Branch, NJ 4PM
2/15: Toms River, NJ 4PM
2/21: Garden City Public Library, NY 11AM, 2PM
2/29: West Orange Library, NJ 7PM

June 2012:
STORYTELLING TOUR IN ARGENTINA WITH DREAM ON PRODUCTIONS!!!!!!!!




So,,, where is Julie when she’s not storytelling?
She might be….Performing as Dr. Ima Confused, her character for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program at Harlem Hospital for the pediatric patients and their families.(More info on the circus below) Or, you could catch her stilt walking at any number of special events. And, of course, you might find her…teaching yoga at Devotion Yoga Studio in Hoboken, NJ - mostly Monday, Tuesday, and Friday nights, but some other times as well (more info on Devotion Yoga below)And, never forget that sometimes she’s cleaning chimneys – okay, not for real – but I just looking for an ending!!!

Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program:
is a community outreach program of the Big Apple Circus, an
award winning presenter of live family entertainment and a leading
not-for-profit performing arts institution.
Using juggling, mime, magic, music, puppetry, storytelling and lots of
improvisation, we are specially trained “doctors of delight” who bring the
joy and excitement of the one ring circus to the bedsides of hospitalized
children one to five days each week, year round, nationwide. As Meredith
Vieira, our national spokesperson and honorary clown doctor, phrased it:
From ringside to bedside! Clown Care makes “clown rounds,” a parody of
medical rounds where humor is the prescribed treatment. As “clown doctors”,
we are professional performers who work one-on-one with the children, their
parents, and hospital staff to ease the stress of serious illness by
reintroducing laughter and fun as natural parts of life.
A national network of host hospitals, generous contributions and grants from
individuals, foundations and corporations support Clown Care.


Storytelling Arts: Here’s the organization I do a lot of storytelling residencies in schools with: They are dedicated to bringing the art of storytelling to underserved populations. Storytelling Arts works with schools and community organizations to bring the benefits of storytelling to a varied audience. Storytelling Arts programs serve to boost literacy and build community through:
• Classroom residencies in schools
• Professional development opportunities for teachers
• Programs in community organizations
• Educational services in juvenile detention centers
Website: storytellingarts.net
Devotion Yoga: Devotion Yoga is a community dedicated to creating a safe, peaceful, and non-competitive environment which offers individuals the opportunity to learn the practice of yoga through classes, workshops and related events. We are committed to providing high quality, inspiring, unique, and balanced programming that support our members in living a healthy and fulfilling life.
Website: devotionyoga.com

Sunday, November 13, 2011

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: I SEE STORYTELLERS!!

There was a movie, I guess about ten years ago – the name is escaping me – but it had Bruce Willis in it, and the kid who famously said, “I see dead people.” Remember that one? Well, the rest of the line was “And they don’t know their dead.” Recently, I have often had the urge to say, “I see storytellers, and they don’t know that they are!”
In a yoga workshop I was in, the teacher held the whole class in the palm of his hand by telling the stories behind some of the yoga poses and characters from Hindu and Indian mythology that loom large in yogic philosophy. In an English as a Second Language classroom I was about to enter, I watched the instructor bring to life the tale the students were struggling to read in this bizarre language known as English. And as I was getting my haircut, my hairdresser, Ruthie, in her divine use of Spanglish was telling one of the other customers a fascinating tale of the local parking situation on her block. Storytellers all – and they don’t know that they are.
People say all the time, “Everyone can sing!”, frankly, I REALLY disagree with that notion, but I will say that everyone, EVERYONE can tell a story. Some folks might not use dramatic gesture, or change voices, or ever be the person you would pay money to see – but all human beings do have the ability, and I would say, the NEED to tell their tales. When we arrive home at the end of the day, and recount the daily events – is that not storytelling? When we speak of our lives with friends – citing times from our past and upbringing - is that not storytelling? Storytelling is more about connecting than anything else, that’s why there is no fourth wall, that’s why each time I tell a story it is different, because I am communicating with that particular audience, at that particular time. We humans crave that connection, we want to be seen, we want to be heard, and storytelling in all it’s forms does that. Storytelling, now that I think about it, may be one of the few things that EVERYONE does – it is a real commonality amongst people wherever they come from. Sounds a little grandiose, but also, I think, quite true.
So, check it out, have your ears open, and maybe you, too, will hear people telling their stories, sometimes in the most unlikely places, like between downward facing dogs, or clipping off split ends. And maybe you’ll find the urge to say, with eyes wide, and your voice in a whisper, like that kid in that movie (what the heck is the name of it??) “I see storytellers!”

Sunday, November 6, 2011

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

Ah – it’s school time, again – and many of my performances are in classrooms, assemblies, and residencies, so I can’t invite the general public to those. But, here are the ones you can come to…

November 2011:
11/2: Roseville Branch, Newark, NJ 4PM
11/30: Springfield Branch, Newark, NJ 3:45PM

December 2011:
12/10: Scandinavian House, NYC 11AM
12/17: Kwanzaa Festival, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ TBA

February 2012
2/2: Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ 10:15, 11:15, 12:15
2/4: Elizabeth Public Library, Main Branch, NJ 11AM
2/4: Elizabeth Public Library, La Corte Branch, NJ 2PM
2/9: Hoboken Library, NJ 3:30 PM
2/14: North Plainfield Library, NJ 3:30PM
2/29: West Orange Library, NJ 7PM




So,,, where is Julie when she’s not storytelling?
She might be….Performing as Dr. Ima Confused, her character for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program at Harlem Hospital for the pediatric patients and their families.(More info on the circus below) Or, you could catch her stilt walking at any number of special events. And, of course, you might find her…teaching yoga at Devotion Yoga Studio in Hoboken, NJ - mostly Monday, Tuesday, and Friday nights, but some other times as well (more info on Devotion Yoga below)And, never forget that sometimes she’s cleaning chimneys – okay, not for real – but I just looking for an ending!!!

Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program:
is a community outreach program of the Big Apple Circus, an
award winning presenter of live family entertainment and a leading
not-for-profit performing arts institution.
Using juggling, mime, magic, music, puppetry, storytelling and lots of
improvisation, we are specially trained “doctors of delight” who bring the
joy and excitement of the one ring circus to the bedsides of hospitalized
children one to five days each week, year round, nationwide. As Meredith
Vieira, our national spokesperson and honorary clown doctor, phrased it:
From ringside to bedside! Clown Care makes “clown rounds,” a parody of
medical rounds where humor is the prescribed treatment. As “clown doctors”,
we are professional performers who work one-on-one with the children, their
parents, and hospital staff to ease the stress of serious illness by
reintroducing laughter and fun as natural parts of life.
A national network of host hospitals, generous contributions and grants from
individuals, foundations and corporations support Clown Care.


Storytelling Arts: Here’s the organization I do a lot of storytelling residencies in schools with: They are dedicated to bringing the art of storytelling to underserved populations. Storytelling Arts works with schools and community organizations to bring the benefits of storytelling to a varied audience. Storytelling Arts programs serve to boost literacy and build community through:
• Classroom residencies in schools
• Professional development opportunities for teachers
• Programs in community organizations
• Educational services in juvenile detention centers
Website: storytellingarts.net
Devotion Yoga: Devotion Yoga is a community dedicated to creating a safe, peaceful, and non-competitive environment which offers individuals the opportunity to learn the practice of yoga through classes, workshops and related events. We are committed to providing high quality, inspiring, unique, and balanced programming that support our members in living a healthy and fulfilling life.
Website: devotionyoga.com

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

Ah – it’s school time, again – and many of my performances are in classrooms, assemblies, and residencies, so I can’t invite the general public to those. But, here are the ones you can come to…


November 2011:
11/2: Roseville Branch, Newark, NJ 4PM
11/30: Springfield Branch, Newark, NJ 3:45PM

December 2011:
12/10: Scandinavian House, NYC 11AM
12/17: Kwanzaa Festival, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ TBA

February 2012
2/2: Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ 10:15, 11:15, 12:15
2/9: Hoboken Library, NJ 3:30 PM
2/14: North Plainfield Library, NJ 3:30PM
2/29: West Orange Library, NJ 7PM




So,,, where is Julie when she’s not storytelling?
She might be….Performing as Dr. Ima Confused, her character for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program at Harlem Hospital for the pediatric patients and their families.(More info on the circus below) Or, you could catch her stilt walking at any number of special events. She also might be…performing as any number of characters for the Big Apple Circus Vaudeville Caravan program at the Montrose and Castle Point Veterans Hospitals. And, of course, you might find her…teaching yoga at Devotion Yoga Studio in Hoboken, NJ (mostly Monday, Tuesday, and Friday nights, but some other times as well). And, never forget that sometimes she’s cleaning chimneys – okay, not for real – but I just looking for an ending!!!

Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program:
is a community outreach program of the Big Apple Circus, an
award winning presenter of live family entertainment and a leading
not-for-profit performing arts institution.
Using juggling, mime, magic, music, puppetry, storytelling and lots of
improvisation, we are specially trained “doctors of delight” who bring the
joy and excitement of the one ring circus to the bedsides of hospitalized
children one to five days each week, year round, nationwide. As Meredith
Vieira, our national spokesperson and honorary clown doctor, phrased it:
From ringside to bedside! Clown Care makes “clown rounds,” a parody of
medical rounds where humor is the prescribed treatment. As “clown doctors”,
we are professional performers who work one-on-one with the children, their
parents, and hospital staff to ease the stress of serious illness by
reintroducing laughter and fun as natural parts of life.
A national network of host hospitals, generous contributions and grants from
individuals, foundations and corporations support Clown Care.


Storytelling Arts: Here’s the organization I do a lot of storytelling residencies in schools with: They are dedicated to bringing the art of storytelling to underserved populations. Storytelling Arts works with schools and community organizations to bring the benefits of storytelling to a varied audience. Storytelling Arts programs serve to boost literacy and build community through:
• Classroom residencies in schools
• Professional development opportunities for teachers
• Programs in community organizations
• Educational services in juvenile detention centers
Website: storytellingarts.net
Devotion Yoga: Devotion Yoga is a community dedicated to creating a safe, peaceful, and non-competitive environment which offers individuals the opportunity to learn the practice of yoga through classes, workshops and related events. We are committed to providing high quality, inspiring, unique, and balanced programming that support our members in living a healthy and fulfilling life.
Website: devotionyoga.com

KEEP READING FOR THE LASTEST “NOTES FROM THE FIELD”!!!

Saturday, September 10, 2011

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: MY 49TH STATE

If you were to read any bio I have written about myself for say, the last ten to twelve years, you will see over and over again these words - “Julie has performed in 48 of the 50 states.” Thanks to a myriad of musical theatre and children theatre tours, I spent years crisscrossing the continental United States. I played Puck in Nevada, a flying monkey in Texas, and second chorus girl from the right up and down the eastern seaboard, and back and forth between coasts in vans, buses, and – oh luxuries of luxuries - an airplane or two. Many of the states are just a blur – the hotel, the dressing room, and whatever mode of transportation carried me there. Sometimes now, when I’m on a trip as a tourist somewhere, I’ll get an odd sense of déjà vu, and know I’ve stood right where I was standing before, but this time, I’m actually seeing it.
And here’s the thing about this country of ours – it is BIG, and while it is varied, there are parts of it that are very much the same. Malls – check, everywhere from the Dakotas to Connecticut. All you can eat salad bars – oh yeah, the Southern states always have that “banana surprise” pudding, but I’ve saddled up to fill my plate at ones in Milwaukee and Iowa, too. And hotels, there is something so comforting that a Days Inn in Florida, looks EXACTLY like a Days Inn in Illinois when you stay in a different city every night. For one thing, I could always find my way to the bathroom in the middle of the night without turning on the lights because it’s always in the same place!!! Yeah, I LOVE travel, and getting paid to do it, AND perform is GOLDEN!!
When I started to do more storytelling and clowning, I wanted to stay home a bit more, and not always have a suitcase packed, so my work got a bit more centered on NY, NJ, CT, PA – trips where I actually see the place I’m in, and get a chance to soak in the uniqueness of it. My clown work has taken me international, to ports as varied as Paris, China, and Haiti. And, when my husband introduced me to this concept of vacation travel, I was able to revisit places like New England, San Francisco, parts of Canada, and Chicago, that I sort of sped by on my way backstage – as well as London, Amsterdam, and Rome, which were AWESOME to spend time in, and not worry about what time I had to perform something for someone somewhere!!
But still, there was something bugging me, as I got my passport stamped - I had been stuck on ALMOST having not only seen, but performed in all 50 states for years. I mean, I had been to CHINA, and not those last two states – Alaska and Hawaii. So this year, I’m not even sure why, a need in me grew to begin to polish off this great big country of ours.
As we walked through the NY Times Travel Show this year (if you love to travel it is a MUST for you, it just makes you drool – and this year I was – can you believe, paid to perform there!!) my eyes kept landing on the brochures picturing Alaska’s majestic beauty, “Julie,” it seemed to shout. “It’s time!!!” And so, even though my hubby and I are always the PLAN OUR VACATION AT THE LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT people, a plan began to form in our minds. Of course, the Travel Show was in February, and we normally don’t take vacation until the end of August/beginning of September, so there was plenty of time for us to forget this whole call to the great wilderness and all that, and to realize that when certain people say, “Oh, the prices have REALLY gone down!” they don’t necessarily mean so low that we two independent contractor people in the arts can afford it easily. But – and have I said this enough in this blog of mine – I have a MARVELOUS husband, and while I can barely sit down long enough to type this out, he loves to look at a computer screen and do research.
Through websites, and chat rooms he scoured, looking for ways to get us – without having to sell our kidneys - to Alaska. Cruises were out – we aren’t “cruisey” people anyway, we are far too independent – and after starting the summer in Haiti, I think the sight of all those buffets would have made me physically ill – so flying became our goal. Anchorage seemed to offer itself up to us, with flights that were reasonable (if you had three changes of planes – more stops means more states technically, so Jimmy can keep catching up to me – to look on the bright side of things!!) and left from Newark Airport, just 20 minutes or so from our apartment. We managed to get a flight/hotel package, where we’d be staying in one of my old tour favorites The Days Inn, in downtown Anchorage, and after we booked a car (note – the most expensive part of this whole thing, if this leaves you thinking of it), we plotted a trip that would take us to gorgeous Mt. McKinley, the State Fair, a glacier boat ride, and hours of doing what the two of us LOVE to do: amble, explore, and see where the road leads us.
With the trip booked, there was still one last detail for me – would I be satisfied in just seeing my 49th state, or did I HAVE to also perform there?? PLEASE – that’s a no brainer, from the minute we bought those plane tickets all I could think was, “I wonder how cold I’ll be?” and “Where am I going to either dance, clown, or tell a story for ANYONE, so I can say I’d performed in 49 states??”
In our travel “bible” “Alaska for Dummies” (that series has gotten us all through Europe – they are a prize I tell you, especially Paris for Dummies!!) I spied a town called Homer. It appeared to be the artsy town of that region, and when a friend that had lived in Juneau for eight years told me of the arts scene there, I knew that would be the place where I would find someplace to perform.
When we landed in Alaska – and this is what I LOVE about vacations – “performer Julie” fell away, and “just Julie” bloomed. As much as I ADORE storytelling, clowning, and teaching yoga, sometimes I need to just be, and landing in this place of majestic (cheesy word sometimes, but it so fits) so different from my urban lifestyle, allowed my busy little overly active mind to chill. So, suddenly performing in Alaska fell off my “to-do list” for our eight days there. On day number three, as we took a bus tour of Denali Park (big note: DO THIS BEFORE YOU DIE EVERYONE, SERIOUSLY, IT’S AMAZING!!!) I did turn to the people behind us, whom we had been chatting with, and tell them a short tale, explaining my quest, and though it was just one story, because I was in vacation mode, I put a big old mental check next to the state of Alaska, and considered my performance done.
But…and this I suppose is the good news. I love what I do, I love to create and adapt stories, I love to clown, I love to dance, and do yoga, so even when there is breathtaking scenery, and Jimmy and I are having a blast, and getting more sleep than we EVER do, around day six, the need to perform began to grow. It started to yell after a long bike ride, when my body whispered “Movement – we like, and bikes are always where we work on STORIES!!” But, by then, we had plans – we were still going to artsy Homer, but only for a few hours, before taking a day outing to see Glaciers – I wasn’t going to make Jimmy wait around while I tried to find a place to perform when we had such little time to explore this great town that had everything from sea, to mountains, to a yurt village!! I contented myself with the “bus ride” story, and went on.
But, did I mention that Alaskan weather is unpredictable?? And that it had rained part of everyday we were there? And that more storms were predicted?? Well, they were, and one of them was so large all glacier boats were cancelled. What to do? Homer had so much we hadn’t seen, and we had driven past a library – a big, new one – and where there are libraries, there are children who just might listen to a story. As we entered the library, my eyes fell on a flyer that said there would be a 10AM story hour THE NEXT DAY – I knew this was my opportunity. Jimmy walked in with me, but wandered over to look at a computer -this might have been even too weird for him, while I marched up to the information desk, and began. “I know this is going to sound strange, but…” I voiced my request to be allowed to tell just one story at the story hour the next day, and offered my business card with my website on it to the VERY friendly woman sitting there, hoping to convince her I wasn’t a lunatic. She said she had no authority to make those types of decisions, and directed me to another VERY friendly woman who said she didn’t have the authority, either. Finally, I met Anne Dixon, the VERY friendly library director – who, like the other two women, treated me with more respect and seriousness than I really think I deserved – I mean, what I was asking was pretty odd, after all. Anne listened, and said the call would really be up to the woman who was running the story hour, and that I could come back tomorrow at 9:45AM, and ask her. Encouraged, I left.
With success so close, I had time to drive myself crazy with another detail – WHAT WOULD I WEAR?? You see, I had come for vacation, in a place where our beloved Dummies book told me to dress in layers, jeans, and all weather gear. And so I had. My nice stretchy, but dressy looking black “storytelling pants” (look back at the notes from the field entries, and you’ll see my essay on these pants), that allow me to be my full uber physical self, but still look presentable, where in my drawer back in New Jersey, as were any of the nice tops I like to wear when performing. Worse yet, because we had thought we were going back to Anchorage to go on the glacier tour, the better of my two pair of jeans was in that Days Inn, and not the little local hotel in Homer where we were going to spend this extra night. A quick trip to the local boutique proved too expensive for “emergency pants”, and the consignment shop and Salvation Army thrift store had nothing in my size. Oh well, one shabbily dressed storyteller, who can’t lift her legs as high as usual because she might rip her old, tired jeans, I would have to be. Maybe they would think it was a New York City thing!!
That next morning, with hope in my heart, we arrived at the library. They didn’t open until 10AM, but Anne promised she would be on the lookout for me – and she was, as we got out of our car, she smiled, and waved at us, and we entered the building. Standing there, looking like the teacher and librarian EVERYBODY would want was Jolee. “Is this who I have to ask?” I said. And before Anne could respond, Jolee smiled, and said, ‘Come on in. I LOVE storytellers!!”
To say Jolee, Anne, the staff, the children and their families at the Homer Library were gracious, kind, and a wonderful audience would be a GREAT BIG UNDERSTATEMENT!!! They treated this rather ragamuffin looking storyteller like an honored guest, and I had a ball performing three stories for the attentive crowd that appeared. Looking back on it, I can’t think of any place else that I would rather have performed in the entire 49th state. So, to Anne, Jolee, and all you wonderful folks at the Homer Library that day – THANK YOU!! You helped put the cherry on my really wonderful FIRST trip to Alaska.
And, to anybody else who’s reading this – do you know any good libraries in Hawaii? My quest for my 50th state begins today!!!!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: DREAMS



There is a folktale that goes like this: two friends set off to “find their fortunes”. One friend has a fantastical dream, and in the morning, even though his friend advises against it, the one young man sets off to follow it. He continues to pursue the vision that came to him in his sleep, and in the end he finds happiness and fortune. After the two friends have parted, the second man has a dream as well, but thinking it improbable, he never pursues it, and in time finds himself in poverty, and alone. Chance brings the two men back together, and when the poorer of the two sees his successful friend he asks how he came by his good fortune.
“Well,” his former companion replies, “Do you remember how I had that dream, long ago? I just followed it. No matter what happened, I kept moving towards it, and it led me to a happier life than I ever imagined!”
“That’s interesting,” said the poor man. “After you left, I too, had a dream.”
“And”, said his friend. “What happened? Where did the dream lead you?”
“Nowhere! I mean, you don’t expect me to follow my dreams, do you?”
Every time I think about that story, I wince, because I see far too many people, who, like that second man, ignore the callings of their hearts, muffle their dreams, and land up, as Thoreau wrote, living lives of “sad desperation”. This month, I have had at least two people ask me about how it is that I have seemed to - to coin that old Joseph Campbell chestnut, “followed my bliss”. While I wish I had answers for these folks, I don’t. All I know is that I didn’t seem to have a choice. Despite what my parents, society, and good plain common sense practically ached at times, for me to do, I just seem incapable of doing anything but what the voices in my heart whisper to me.
There have been times, frankly, when I wished I didn’t feel the need to be – well, ME!! I can’t tell you how much I sometimes want to say to that excited little monkey in my head that yelps life directions at me “NO!!!!” But, I just can’t seem to do it. Because as illogical as those ideas are, they always feel so darn RIGHT, and like a moth to the flame I find myself plunging in – AND LANDING RIGHT WHERE I SHOULD BE. And, here’s the thing, the more I’ve ended up in a place that’s right for me, the more I know my little monkey is worth listening to – even if no one in the entire universe would agree.
In the epic story, “The Ramayana”, Rama is said to be the best of men, because no matter what, he always adheres to the principal known as dharma – the belief that we are all born with our own individual talents, and traits, and it is our duty to express those qualities, no matter what. It’s our obligation to basically be ourselves, and life our lives, and not a version of anybody else’s. When I read Rama’s adventures last month, all I could say was, “Right on!!”
So, I guess what I’m saying is, if there’s anybody out there, saying, “SSH!” to their dreams – STOP IT, NOW!!! Life is too short, and too full of different types of lives, and possibilities, for anyone to discount their imaginings, no matter how crazy they may be. I mean come on – I’m a professional storyteller/clown/yoga teacher – how much odder does it get??!! 
So, to close, here’s a little Jewish fable, about the great leader of his people Abraham. “When I get to heaven, and God asks me – why I was not Moses, I know what I will tell him,” Abraham told a group once. “ I will tell him, it is because, I am not Moses. But, if he asks me why was I not Abraham, what can I say?”
GO BE YOU!!!



UPCOMING PUBLIC PERFORMANCES


What you see below are my public performances, no school, camp, or private events are listed – hope you’ll stop by one of these public performances

August 2011:
8/6: Hans Christian Anderson Statue, Central Park, NYC 11AM
8/22: South River Public Library, NJ 7PM
8/23: Oceanic Library, Rumson, NJ 3:30PM
8/26: Coney Island Branch, Brooklyn, NY 2PM
8/30-9/8 I’ll be on vacation in ALASKA!! I’ve been stuck on having been to 48 of the 50 states for a long time, so now I’ll have seen 49!!!

September 2011:
Not storytelling but check out: 9/10: “Namast-Play!” a two hour workshop where I’ll be teaching yoga, acro-yoga, and circus skills. Proceeds go to the Big Apple Circus Clown Care, and Clowns Without Borders (see more about these GREAT organizations below!) Devotion Yoga Downtown Studio, Hoboken, NJ 2PM

December 2011:
12/10: Scandinavian House, NYC 11AM

February 2012
2/2: Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ 10:15, 11:15, 12:15
2/2: Hoboken Library, NJ 3:30 PM




So,,, where is Julie when she’s not storytelling?
She might be….Performing as Dr. Ima Confused, her character for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program at Harlem Hospital for the pediatric patients and their families.(More info on the circus below) Or, you could catch her stilt walking at any number of special events. She also might be…performing as any number of characters for the Big Apple Circus Vaudeville Caravan program at the Montrose and Castle Point Veterans Hospitals. And, of course, you might find her…teaching yoga at Devotion Yoga Studio in Hoboken, NJ (mostly Monday, Tuesday, and Friday nights, but some other times as well). And, never forget that sometimes she’s cleaning chimneys – okay, not for real – but I just looking for an ending!!!

Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program:
is a community outreach program of the Big Apple Circus, an
award winning presenter of live family entertainment and a leading
not-for-profit performing arts institution.
Using juggling, mime, magic, music, puppetry, storytelling and lots of
improvisation, we are specially trained “doctors of delight” who bring the
joy and excitement of the one ring circus to the bedsides of hospitalized
children one to five days each week, year round, nationwide. As Meredith
Vieira, our national spokesperson and honorary clown doctor, phrased it:
From ringside to bedside! Clown Care makes “clown rounds,” a parody of
medical rounds where humor is the prescribed treatment. As “clown doctors”,
we are professional performers who work one-on-one with the children, their
parents, and hospital staff to ease the stress of serious illness by
reintroducing laughter and fun as natural parts of life.
A national network of host hospitals, generous contributions and grants from
individuals, foundations and corporations support Clown Care.


Storytelling Arts: Here’s the organization I do a lot of storytelling residencies in schools with: They are dedicated to bringing the art of storytelling to underserved populations. Storytelling Arts works with schools and community organizations to bring the benefits of storytelling to a varied audience. Storytelling Arts programs serve to boost literacy and build community through:
• Classroom residencies in schools
• Professional development opportunities for teachers
• Programs in community organizations
• Educational services in juvenile detention centers
Website: storytellingarts.net
Devotion Yoga: Devotion Yoga is a community dedicated to creating a safe, peaceful, and non-competitive environment which offers individuals the opportunity to learn the practice of yoga through classes, workshops and related events. We are committed to providing high quality, inspiring, unique, and balanced programming that support our members in living a healthy and fulfilling life.
Website: devotionyoga.com







Tuesday, August 2, 2011

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
What you see below are my public performances, no school, camp, or private events are listed – hope you’ll stop by one of these public performances!!

June 2011
6/7: Fair Haven Library, NJ 3:15PM
6/10-6/22 I’ll be in Haiti with Clowns Without Borders – visit their site: clownswithoutborders.org I was there in October – look for my blog entry called “The Happy Man’s Shirt” to read about it!
6/24: Montclair Public Library, NJ 11AM, 1PM
6/29:Neptune Library, NJ 3:30PM

July 2011
7/12: Arlington Branch, Brooklyn Public Library NY 2PM
7/13: Hawthorne Library, NJ 2PM
7/15: Ridgefield Library, NJ 3:30PM
7/18: River Vale Library, NJ 2:30PM
7/28: Monmouth Beach Library, NJ 7PM

August 2011:
8/6: Hans Christian Anderson Statue, Central Park, NYC 11AM
8/22: South River Public Library, NJ 7PM
8/23: Oceanic Library, Rumson, NJ 3:30PM
8/26: Coney Island Branch, Brooklyn, NY 2PM

February 2012
2/2: Hoboken Library, NJ 3:30 PM




So,,, where is Julie when she’s not storytelling?
She might be….Performing as Dr. Ima Confused, her character for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program at Harlem Hospital for the pediatric patients and their families.(More info on the circus below) Or, you could catch her stilt walking at any number of special events. She also might be…performing as any number of characters for the Big Apple Circus Vaudeville Caravan program at the Montrose and Castle Point Veterans Hospitals. And, of course, you might find her…teaching yoga at Devotion Yoga Studio in Hoboken, NJ (mostly Monday, Tuesday, and Friday nights, but some other times as well). And, never forget that sometimes she’s cleaning chimneys – okay, not for real – but I just looking for an ending!!!

Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program:
is a community outreach program of the Big Apple Circus, an
award winning presenter of live family entertainment and a leading
not-for-profit performing arts institution.
Using juggling, mime, magic, music, puppetry, storytelling and lots of
improvisation, we are specially trained “doctors of delight” who bring the
joy and excitement of the one ring circus to the bedsides of hospitalized
children one to five days each week, year round, nationwide. As Meredith
Vieira, our national spokesperson and honorary clown doctor, phrased it:
From ringside to bedside! Clown Care makes “clown rounds,” a parody of
medical rounds where humor is the prescribed treatment. As “clown doctors”,
we are professional performers who work one-on-one with the children, their
parents, and hospital staff to ease the stress of serious illness by
reintroducing laughter and fun as natural parts of life.
A national network of host hospitals, generous contributions and grants from
individuals, foundations and corporations support Clown Care.


Storytelling Arts: Here’s the organization I do a lot of storytelling residencies in schools with: They are dedicated to bringing the art of storytelling to underserved populations. Storytelling Arts works with schools and community organizations to bring the benefits of storytelling to a varied audience. Storytelling Arts programs serve to boost literacy and build community through:
• Classroom residencies in schools
• Professional development opportunities for teachers
• Programs in community organizations
• Educational services in juvenile detention centers
Website: storytellingarts.net
Devotion Yoga: Devotion Yoga is a community dedicated to creating a safe, peaceful, and non-competitive environment which offers individuals the opportunity to learn the practice of yoga through classes, workshops and related events. We are committed to providing high quality, inspiring, unique, and balanced programming that support our members in living a healthy and fulfilling life.
Website: devotionyoga.com

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: BEING GRATEFUL

The other day, not more than 72 hours after I had arrived home from my second trip to Haiti in less than a year, someone at a party I was at, smiled, and asked, “So, how was your trip?” I took a breath, and willed away all the words, thoughts, and emotions that question brings forth in me, and said, what was the only appropriate thing I could say, given the festive setting of that moment, “It was intense”, I replied, and looked away.
How can I begin to adequately describe the heart wrenching poverty that is Haiti? How does one explain that children don’t have clothes or food, and that I watched families bathe themselves in the same water they threw garbage in, and drank from - because that’s the only thing they can do? One of the hardest things about coming back from Haiti is figuring out what you can say to whom. Because this type of poverty is inconceivable in this land of plenty, people can’t seem to wrap their minds around it – I know I couldn’t until I had seen it firsthand. Since returning, I have held my tongue after discovering that even those closest to me, couldn’t bear to hear the stories I had brought back from the Western Hemisphere’s poorest land – I can’t blame them, I generally tell tales that bring smiles, not looks of shock and horror.
So, what, besides, “It was intense,” will I tell people when they ask me about my travels? The English folktale “The Old Woman in the Vinegar Bottle” gives me a clue. It concerns a woman who lives unhappily inside of a vinegar bottle, until one day a fairy happens along. The fairy tells the woman all she must do is turn around three times, and she will get the house she deserves. The woman does so, and finds herself in a cottage by the sea. So busy is the woman with gazing at the water, that she forgets to say, “Thank you,” to the fairy. Not noticing this, the fairy flies off. After some time the fairy returns, and finds the woman is not happy with the cottage, and wants a bigger house. Again, the fairy helps her, and again, the woman forgets to give thanks. More time passes, and the fairy once again visits the woman, who now asks for a castle. Once again, the fairy gives her what she wants, and receives no gratitude. Months go by, and one day the fairy returns to find the woman angrily yelling at her, “I want my own planet!!!!” The fairy asks the woman to turn around three times as she did every other time, and this time, the woman lands right back inside of the vinegar bottle.
Just like that old woman, I forget to be grateful - for electricity, plumbing, a roof over my head, more food than I really need to eat. But being in Haiti is a powerful reminder of all I, and every other American, no matter how poor, has. It’s soooooooooooooooo easy to take things for granted, so easy to feel that the modern conveniences I enjoy are a right, and not a privilege that not everyone has access to. So what will I say when people ask, “So, how was Haiti?” I will say, “It makes me grateful for every single thing in my life.”

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
What you see below are my public performances, no school, camp, or private events are listed – hope you’ll stop by one of these public performances!!

June 2011
6/7: Fair Haven Library, NJ 3:15PM
6/10-6/22 I’ll be in Haiti with Clowns Without Borders – visit their site: clownswithoutborders.org I was there in October – look for my blog entry called “The Happy Man’s Shirt” to read about it! New blog entry about this last trip is coming!!
6/24: Montclair Public Library, NJ 11AM, 1PM
6/29:Neptune Library, NJ 3:30PM

July 2011
7/12: Arlington Branch, Brooklyn Public Library NY 2PM
7/13: Hawthorne Library, NJ 2PM
7/15: Ridgefield Library, NJ 3:30PM
7/18: River Vale Library, NJ 2:30PM
7/28: Monmouth Beach Library, NJ 7PM

August 2011:
8/22: South River Public Library, NJ 7PM
8/23: Oceanic Library, Rumson, NJ 3:30PM
8/26: Coney Island Branch, Brooklyn, NY 2PM

February 2012
2/2: Hoboken Library, NJ 3:30 PM




So,,, where is Julie when she’s not storytelling?
She might be….Performing as Dr. Ima Confused, her character for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program at Harlem Hospital for the pediatric patients and their families.(More info on the circus below) Or, you could catch her stilt walking at any number of special events. She also might be…performing as any number of characters for the Big Apple Circus Vaudeville Caravan program at the Montrose and Castle Point Veterans Hospitals. And, of course, you might find her…teaching yoga at Devotion Yoga Studio in Hoboken, NJ (mostly Monday, Tuesday, and Friday nights, but some other times as well). And, never forget that sometimes she’s cleaning chimneys – okay, not for real – but I just looking for an ending!!!

Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program:
is a community outreach program of the Big Apple Circus, an
award winning presenter of live family entertainment and a leading
not-for-profit performing arts institution.
Using juggling, mime, magic, music, puppetry, storytelling and lots of
improvisation, we are specially trained “doctors of delight” who bring the
joy and excitement of the one ring circus to the bedsides of hospitalized
children one to five days each week, year round, nationwide. As Meredith
Vieira, our national spokesperson and honorary clown doctor, phrased it:
From ringside to bedside! Clown Care makes “clown rounds,” a parody of
medical rounds where humor is the prescribed treatment. As “clown doctors”,
we are professional performers who work one-on-one with the children, their
parents, and hospital staff to ease the stress of serious illness by
reintroducing laughter and fun as natural parts of life.
A national network of host hospitals, generous contributions and grants from
individuals, foundations and corporations support Clown Care.


Storytelling Arts: Here’s the organization I do a lot of storytelling residencies in schools with: They are dedicated to bringing the art of storytelling to underserved populations. Storytelling Arts works with schools and community organizations to bring the benefits of storytelling to a varied audience. Storytelling Arts programs serve to boost literacy and build community through:
• Classroom residencies in schools
• Professional development opportunities for teachers
• Programs in community organizations
• Educational services in juvenile detention centers
Website: storytellingarts.net
Devotion Yoga: Devotion Yoga is a community dedicated to creating a safe, peaceful, and non-competitive environment which offers individuals the opportunity to learn the practice of yoga through classes, workshops and related events. We are committed to providing high quality, inspiring, unique, and balanced programming that support our members in living a healthy and fulfilling life.
Website: devotionyoga.com

Saturday, June 4, 2011

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

I’m involved in three different school residencies right now, so most of my work is for them at the moment. Below are some places the general public can come and see me!!

June 2011
6/7: Fair Haven Library, NJ 3:15PM
6/10-6/22 I’ll be in Haiti with Clowns Without Borders – visit their site: clownswithoutborders.org I was there in October – look for my blog entry called “The Happy Man’s Shirt” to read about it!
6/24: Montclair Public Library, NJ 11AM, 1PM
6/29:Neptune Library, NJ 3:30PM

July 2011
7/12: Arlington Branch, Brooklyn Public Library NY 2PM
7/13: Hawthorne Library, NJ 2PM
7/15: Ridgefield Library, NJ 3:30PM
7/28: Monmouth Beach Library, NJ 7PM

August 2011:
8/22: South River Public Library, NJ 7PM
8/23: Oceanic Library, Rumson, NJ 3:30PM
8/26: Coney Island Branch, Brooklyn, NY 2PM




So,,, where is Julie when she’s not storytelling?
She might be….Performing as Dr. Ima Confused, her character for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program at Harlem Hospital for the pediatric patients and their families.(More info on the circus below) Or, you could catch her stilt walking at any number of special events. She also might be…performing as any number of characters for the Big Apple Circus Vaudeville Caravan program at the Montrose and Castle Point Veterans Hospitals. And, of course, you might find her…teaching yoga at Devotion Yoga Studio in Hoboken, NJ (mostly Monday and Friday nights, but some other times as well). And, never forget that sometimes she’s cleaning chimneys – okay, not for real – but I just looking for an ending!!!

Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program:
is a community outreach program of the Big Apple Circus, an
award winning presenter of live family entertainment and a leading
not-for-profit performing arts institution.
Using juggling, mime, magic, music, puppetry, storytelling and lots of
improvisation, we are specially trained “doctors of delight” who bring the
joy and excitement of the one ring circus to the bedsides of hospitalized
children one to five days each week, year round, nationwide. As Meredith
Vieira, our national spokesperson and honorary clown doctor, phrased it:
From ringside to bedside! Clown Care makes “clown rounds,” a parody of
medical rounds where humor is the prescribed treatment. As “clown doctors”,
we are professional performers who work one-on-one with the children, their
parents, and hospital staff to ease the stress of serious illness by
reintroducing laughter and fun as natural parts of life.
A national network of host hospitals, generous contributions and grants from
individuals, foundations and corporations support Clown Care.


Storytelling Arts: Here’s the organization I do a lot of storytelling residencies in schools with: They are dedicated to bringing the art of storytelling to underserved populations. Storytelling Arts works with schools and community organizations to bring the benefits of storytelling to a varied audience. Storytelling Arts programs serve to boost literacy and build community through:
• Classroom residencies in schools
• Professional development opportunities for teachers
• Programs in community organizations
• Educational services in juvenile detention centers
Website: storytellingarts.net
Devotion Yoga: Devotion Yoga is a community dedicated to creating a safe, peaceful, and non-competitive environment which offers individuals the opportunity to learn the practice of yoga through classes, workshops and related events. We are committed to providing high quality, inspiring, unique, and balanced programming that support our members in living a healthy and fulfilling life.
Website: devotionyoga.com

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: THE GOSSIP WOMAN

A few years ago, in a class I was taking on personal essay writing, we were asked to put our own individual spin on something that was common, everyday, and average. A topic that would be completely relatable to your grandparents in Florida, your hipster friend in Brooklyn, and even your eye rolling teenage niece. As I recall there was an offering about food (good choice – who doesn’t eat, right?), stress (another goodie – to use one of my favorite words, good old stress is ubiquitous – love that word!!), and of course MONEY (no need to say anything about that one). After toying around with issues I thought worthy of CNN, or at least the local news, I decided to go with something as (here comes my favorite word again) UBIQUITOUS, it seems, as air - GOSSIP!!
Yup, I went with good old “behind your back, digging in your business, best shared in hushed tones” gossip, because, seriously, who amongst us has NEVER, looked right, then left, leaned into a friend, co-worker, or relative, and whispered some version of this line, “You know what I heard about….” I don’t know for sure, but I suspect that even Mother Theresa shared a juicy tidbit or two while working in the slums of Calcutta. Gossip seems to be one of those things that we humans just can’t seem to get away from, and enough of. Look at the internet, TV, newspapers, and, the grand dame of all readable gossip – the magazines by the check-out line in the supermarket. I know more about some housewives from NJ after an average grocery shopping, than I do about my own sister!!
And then there’s the face to face exchange of information – the checking to make sure the subject of your conversation is not within earshot, the little chuckle and eye brow raise, just before you divulge the secret you have about your gossipee (you, of course being the gossiper). Often these things snowball, one little morsel of gossip leads to another, until your conversation is glutted with “Somebody told me that..” and “Can you believe about…” And while chatting away about that friend, co-worker, politician or movie star, might feel fun and festive, and a perfectly acceptable thing to do in excess with friends – I’ve been finding more and more that, just as eating too many jelly beans on Easter leaves me feeling sick, and somehow shameful – so does gossiping. These days I find myself walking away from a gossip fest wanting to take a shower, and brush my teeth – I feel at once stupid for having gotten into that type of conversation, guilty for any- thing I said to fuel the fire, and bewildered about how – despite my best intentions I gravitated towards the gossip, the way a two year old is transfixed by soap bubbles.
I read somewhere that a good way to break the gossip habit was to not talk about someone who wasn’t in front of you – for ill or good, for a week - do I even have to tell you how impossible that was??? So, this spring, when I was asked to tell “character education stories” – meaning stories that taught some kind of social behavioral lesson to a group of middle schoolers – I knew exactly what my topic would be. Perhaps, my nobler mind thought – I could help these kids jump off the gossip train before they were as addicted to it as I was. And so I told them the story “Feathers”.
There is a woman who is the town gossip, and even though her neighbors are on to her loose lipped ways, they listen anyway. One day a stranger comes to town, and the woman (I know there’s a TV show called Gossip Girl, so we’ll call her Gossip Woman), begins to spread lies that he is a criminal of some kind. After being confronted by some of the town people, and disproving the lies told about him, the stranger demands justice, and goes before the village judge. Once in the courtroom, the Gossip Woman grows frightened, and falls to her knees assuring the judge and all who will listen that she will never gossip again, that in fact, she takes all her words back. As punishment, the judge instructs the Gossip Woman, to take a feather pillow outdoors, shake all the feathers out, and then put them back in. Once outside, the woman finds the task difficult, as the wind blows the feathers in every direction. After hours of trying to capture all the feathers, the woman, defeated, returns to the judge and says, “Your Honor, I couldn’t do it. No matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get those feathers back in the pillow.” The judge replies, “And it is the same thing with words. Once spoken, no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, you can never really get them back.”
These days, when I feel the urge to get my gossip on – I try, I repeat TRY, to remember this tale. And, every once in a while the image of those feathers blowing in the air pops into my mind, and I manage to keep my mouth shut!!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Notes From the Field: A Storytelling

You know how there are rights of passages in a person’s life – the first two wheeler in grammar school, the learner’s permit in high school, the freshman “15” in college. Well, I’ve always sort of had my own time table. I never went to college – and THANK GOD never did that whole gaining fifteen pounds thing either, but I did learn to ride a bike and drive a car - IN MY THIRTIES!! I didn’t stop growing until I was twenty (thank God, because that allowed me to actually reach five feet!), didn’t need a bra until I was just about eighteen, and I am still waiting to have that feeling that a secure job with benefits might actually be a smart move (at this point, I don’t think that one’s ever coming, thank goodness!!) A guy who did my astrological chart years ago called it right when he said I was sort of a late bloomer, and that I had my own time table in life.
So as I reached a sort of interesting milestone this year, I wonder, am I, as always behind the curve. For it has taken me twelve years of storytelling to really fall in love with the long, serious story. The tale that doesn’t necessarily end happily or quickly; one that doesn’t come with a tidy morale ,or hilarious punch line, a tale that is as mysterious, andas full of the unknown as life. Not to put myself down, or anything, but I have always known that short, fast, and funny is my “sweet spot” – outlandish characters, cartoon like emoting, weird physicality is what I do best. Sure, I’ve told weighty tales – but they were always short, and to the point, with the underlying message highlighted in a bright day glow yellow.
But something happened to me this year. Maybe it’s the yoga, maybe it’s the fact that I’ve been doing more telling for ages eleven and up, instead of my usual kindergarten through third graders set, or maybe as a storyteller, I’m maturing. While I will boast of the ways I have never played it safe in the way I run my life, my choice of tales has always been more towards the “crowd pleaser”. If my stories where movies, they would be the action adventure film featuring two stars everyone loves, not the gritty, low budget art house film that gets great reviews and plays in exactly two theatres. They would be the ones you’re happy to see come on TV when you’re sick, so you could curl up with your tea and tissues, and know exactly what was going to happen from the moment the opening credits ran. Fun, even REALLY good, and at times the PREFECT thing – but there are other movies out there, just as there are other stories out there.
So, this school term, as I went into youth detention centers, middle schools, inner city after school programs, my “bag tricks” wasn’t going to get the job done, and so I went to the always amazing source of folktales, and I read. I read stories that I had never given the time of day to before. Stories where things happened that weren’t readily explained, journeys where the good guy didn’t necessarily win, or if he did, he did it by not being such a “good guy” after all. Stories that not only embraced the grey areas of life, but showed them for what they are – REAL LIFE. For that is one thing I think I have been learning more or less on time, that life is sooooooooooooooooo much more complex, and rich than we tend to think it is. It is full of what my friend B.B. calls, “Big time grown up S***!” . And as I am more and more okay with that as a person, I am more and more okay with that as a storyteller.
Now, let me just say this IN NO WAY means I am giving up short, fast, funny – because at my core I know that will always be how I roll. But, I am open now to tell the tales that maybe ask questions that don’t particularly have an answer.


UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
I’m involved in three different school residencies right now, so most of my work is for them at the moment. Below are some places the general public can come and see me!!

May 2011:
5/1 Ridgewood Public Library, NJ 2PM

June 2011
6/7: Fair Haven Library, NJ 3:15PM
6/10-6/22 I’ll be in Haiti with Clowns Without Borders – visit their site: clownswithoutborders.org I was there in October – look for my blog entry called “The Happy Man’s Shirt” to read about it!
6/24: Montclair Public Library, NJ 11AM, 1PM
6/29:Neptune Library, NJ 3:30PM

July 2011
7/12: Arlington Branch, Brooklyn Public Library NY 2PM
7/15: Ridgefield Library, NJ 3:30PM

August 2011:
8/22: South River Public Library, NJ 7PM
8/23: Oceanic Library, Rumson, NJ 3:30PM




So,,, where is Julie when she’s not storytelling?
She might be….Performing as Dr. Ima Confused, her character for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program at Harlem Hospital for the pediatric patients and their families.(More info on the circus below) Or, you could catch her stilt walking at any number of special events. She also might be…performing as any number of characters for the Big Apple Circus Vaudeville Caravan program at the Montrose and Castle Point Veterans Hospitals. And, of course, you might find her…teaching yoga at Devotion Yoga Studio in Hoboken, NJ (mostly Monday and Friday nights, but some other times as well). And, never forget that sometimes she’s cleaning chimneys – okay, not for real – but I just looking for an ending!!!

Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program:
is a community outreach program of the Big Apple Circus, an
award winning presenter of live family entertainment and a leading
not-for-profit performing arts institution.
Using juggling, mime, magic, music, puppetry, storytelling and lots of
improvisation, we are specially trained “doctors of delight” who bring the
joy and excitement of the one ring circus to the bedsides of hospitalized
children one to five days each week, year round, nationwide. As Meredith
Vieira, our national spokesperson and honorary clown doctor, phrased it:
From ringside to bedside! Clown Care makes “clown rounds,” a parody of
medical rounds where humor is the prescribed treatment. As “clown doctors”,
we are professional performers who work one-on-one with the children, their
parents, and hospital staff to ease the stress of serious illness by
reintroducing laughter and fun as natural parts of life.
A national network of host hospitals, generous contributions and grants from
individuals, foundations and corporations support Clown Care.


Storytelling Arts: Here’s the organization I do a lot of storytelling residencies in schools with: They are dedicated to bringing the art of storytelling to underserved populations. Storytelling Arts works with schools and community organizations to bring the benefits of storytelling to a varied audience. Storytelling Arts programs serve to boost literacy and build community through:
• Classroom residencies in schools
• Professional development opportunities for teachers
• Programs in community organizations
• Educational services in juvenile detention centers
Website: storytellingarts.net
Devotion Yoga: Devotion Yoga is a community dedicated to creating a safe, peaceful, and non-competitive environment which offers individuals the opportunity to learn the practice of yoga through classes, workshops and related events. We are committed to providing high quality, inspiring, unique, and balanced programming that support our members in living a healthy and fulfilling life.
Website: devotionyoga.com

Monday, April 11, 2011

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
I’m involved in three different school residencies right now, so most of my work is for them at the moment. Below are some places the general public can come and see me!!



April 2011:
4/9: Elevate Yoga (stories for adults, then yoga class), Hazlet, NJ 2PM
4/13: Keansburg Library, NJ 3:30PM

May 2011:
5/1 Ridgewood Public Library, NJ 2PM

June 2011
6/7: Fair Haven Library, NJ 3:15PM
6/24: Montclair Public Library, NJ 11AM, 1PM

August 2011:
8/22: South River Public Library, NJ 7PM
8/23: Oceanic Library, Rumson, NJ 3:30PM




So,,, where is Julie when she’s not storytelling?
She might be….Performing as Dr. Ima Confused, her character for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program at Harlem Hospital for the pediatric patients and their families.(More info on the circus below) Or, you could catch her stilt walking at any number of special events. She also might be…performing as any number of characters for the Big Apple Circus Vaudeville Caravan program at the Montrose and Castle Point Veterans Hospitals. And, of course, you might find her…teaching yoga at Devotion Yoga Studio in Hoboken, NJ (mostly Monday and Friday nights, but some other times as well). And, never forget that sometimes she’s cleaning chimneys – okay, not for real – but I just looking for an ending!!!

Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program:
is a community outreach program of the Big Apple Circus, an
award winning presenter of live family entertainment and a leading
not-for-profit performing arts institution.
Using juggling, mime, magic, music, puppetry, storytelling and lots of
improvisation, we are specially trained “doctors of delight” who bring the
joy and excitement of the one ring circus to the bedsides of hospitalized
children one to five days each week, year round, nationwide. As Meredith
Vieira, our national spokesperson and honorary clown doctor, phrased it:
From ringside to bedside! Clown Care makes “clown rounds,” a parody of
medical rounds where humor is the prescribed treatment. As “clown doctors”,
we are professional performers who work one-on-one with the children, their
parents, and hospital staff to ease the stress of serious illness by
reintroducing laughter and fun as natural parts of life.
A national network of host hospitals, generous contributions and grants from
individuals, foundations and corporations support Clown Care.


Storytelling Arts: Here’s the organization I do a lot of storytelling residencies in schools with: They are dedicated to bringing the art of storytelling to underserved populations. Storytelling Arts works with schools and community organizations to bring the benefits of storytelling to a varied audience. Storytelling Arts programs serve to boost literacy and build community through:
• Classroom residencies in schools
• Professional development opportunities for teachers
• Programs in community organizations
• Educational services in juvenile detention centers
Website: storytellingarts.net
Devotion Yoga: Devotion Yoga is a community dedicated to creating a safe, peaceful, and non-competitive environment which offers individuals the opportunity to learn the practice of yoga through classes, workshops and related events. We are committed to providing high quality, inspiring, unique, and balanced programming that support our members in living a healthy and fulfilling life.
Website: devotionyoga.com

Notes from the Field: Story Triathlon

Any one that knows me, even a little bit, knows that I am what is called a “gym rat”. I like to work out – HARD, and A LOT. Once a fellow on the treadmill next to me asked what I was training for. I smiled, and said, “My life!” I don’t think he understood, but If he had followed me around this past week, he would have seen me compete in a triathlon of a very untraditional nature.
FIRST LEG: THE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM My first storytelling performance of the week was at an inner city after school program. I’ve been to this school eight times now, seeing different classes, telling stories, and if time permits, doing some follow-up activities. Because it is after school, the population changes according to whose care givers can pick them up when, so, while in theory, I was supposed to have the same group all the time, that really doesn’t happen. The students are 4th-6th graders, tired from a long day of school, wanting (as I know I surely would) to be released from the rules and regulations, or at least the physical bonds of the school building. This, plus some high school helpers that set my tween audiences hormones into maximum drive every time they enter the room, are my particular challenges in this residency, but, because I have “trained” I have a fighting chance against tween-age indifference. I reach into bag of story repertoire and bring out “slightly weird, almost scary” tales. While I stay away from TRULY frightening material – mainly because I scare the pants off myself – these creepy tales are the just the thing to grab the attention of this group who are riding the crest of teenagerhood . They sit forward, wondering how scary it’s going to get, wondering if they are the only one in the room that is wondering that. Telling this type of tale, my whole body is tingling, and I move with tension to the soundtrack of “Jaws” that is playing in my imagination.
SECOND LEG: THE JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER This “event” for me tends to take quite a bit of training and preparation. I know that folktales, though ancient are relevant to the here and now, and are rich with symbolism and mystery – but how can I convey that to these young men and women who, because of life circumstances have made a mistake. I have found that the first thing I must do, is exercise my compassion, and see these students as people who are probably victims themselves, coming from a world of few options, and therefore made the only choice they felt they could. When I look at this assignment in that way, I am able to tell with conviction and confidence any folktale I love, because the world of story is so full of imaginative happenings, it can perhaps open their eyes to a world that is bigger than the one they had imagined – a place where there is more options than they have ever dreamed.
THIRD LEG: THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL As I found myself rounding out my week with a four show day at an elementary school, I feel like the marathoner who has the finish line in site, and being past the physical exhaustion, is now high on the endorphins of the intense work-out. All the training becomes well worth it for the look of wonder, joy, and – there is no other word for it – spunk, that is on the faces of my audiences this day. I LOVE THIS AGE GROUP!!! They have an energy level and a sense of play that resonates in every cell of my body – I feel as if I am home. My actual physical training does come, literally, in to play – as I leap, dance, run, and squat – to bring the characters in these tales to life. But, I am not doing all the heavy lifting – for at this age, they are very much driving the tale. Because their faces are so very easy to read, as I see what they respond to, I adapt to give them more of what they love. Four shows fly by in a heartbeat, and my week – which also included clowning two full days in the hospital, and teaching four yoga classes is done.
Now, every week of my life is not like this – in fact one of the things I REALLY love about my life is that it is always different, but just like in stories, you never know what life will hold, so I find it’s best to train, and be ready. I’d write more, but I gotta go to the gym!!!

Monday, February 28, 2011

Notes from the Field: My Heros!!

To really understand how ironic what I’m about to write is, you have to understand this about me – when I was a kid, I HATED school. Not disliked, not “I’d rather be watching TV” – we are talking full on LOATHING!!! It wasn’t that I was incapable of doing well, it wasn’t that I was bullied, and didn’t have friends, it wasn’t even that I didn’t want to learn – no, it was just that I was the proverbial square peg being cramped into that round hole. I am, and have always been, a person that NEEDS to dance to their own drummer – schedules, too much structure, make me buck like a horse in the wild west. School, with all it’s rules, and requirements felt like a prison to me, so much so that as a child on Sunday nights, I would stay up as long as I could, hoping to extend my weekend that much longer. But always sleep would take me, and Monday, dreaded back to school Monday, always arrived.
So, in my mind, if school was a prison, than the teachers, were the guards. Like an inmate who knows who holds the power, and the keys to their cells, I eyed them with wariness. I was obedient, and dependable – always afraid of their power of me, over what my parents thought of me, over my life. It was only when I got to high school, and had a teacher, who really SAW me, encouraged me, and in a way adopted me, that I began to see that teachers were actual humans. Mr. Andros, my teacher/mentor/second dad showed me that teachers are heroes who day after day sometimes literally go into battle in their classrooms. They work for little money, and even less respect, it seems, but they have the most important jobs in the world. And now, years after many a school day spend eyeing educators with fear and suspicion, I find myself totally OVERJOYED to offer them whatever I can in my role as a storyteller.
In folktales there are often magical helpers that appear along the way as the hero or heroine makes their way on their journey. Often times they’ll give the hero something that, on the surface at least, looks to be simple, of little relevance to the task at hand. But time and time again in these stories, it is that little object that enables the hero to succeed. I like to think of the tales I tell like little presents, like Jack’s magical beans, that once planted in the minds of a teacher, might just help them in their heroic work of educating our future. I try with each visit to a classroom, not just to introduce the wonderful world of stories to the students, but also to their teachers, knowing I don’t even know a quarter of what they know, but hoping, beyond hope that I have served the story well enough so that it’s wisdom, and timelessness, can be seen by the classroom teacher, and, if they want to, use it in a lesson plan, or a discussion.
Oddly enough, given my history with teachers, it is that aspect that often gives me the most joy in my work with Storytelling Arts. I get to repay all those people, those heroes, who watched me looking at them like they were monsters, but taught me anyway. Who saw my gaze of distrust and fear, and kept offering all they had –day after day. Sr. Ann Robin, Mrs. Franklin, Mr. Manchester – I don’t know where you are today, but believe me - I GET IT NOW!!! I understand what incredible work you do, and while I still live outside, around, and on top of “the box” rather than in it, and too much scheduling still makes my stomach clench – I am trying to repay the debt I owe you, and every teacher whose classroom, my reluctant younger self ever entered! It’s the most I can do, as all you teachers – you hero and heroines go on your daily quests to open the minds of the world.

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

I’m involved in three different school residencies right now, so most of my work is for them at the moment. Below are some places the general public can come and see me!!


March 2011:
3/23: Fairfield Library, NJ 6:30PM
3/27: Franklin Township Library, NJ 1:45PM, 3PM

April 2011:
4/9: Elevate Yoga (stories for adults, then yoga class), Hazlet, NJ 2PM
4/13: Keansburg Library, NJ 3:30PM

May 2011:
5/1 Ridgewood Public Library, NJ 2PM

June 2011
6/7:Fair Haven Library, NJ 3:15PM

August 2011:
8/23: Oceanic Library, Rumson, NJ 3:30PM




So,,, where is Julie when she’s not storytelling?
She might be….Performing as Dr. Ima Confused, her character for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program at Harlem Hospital for the pediatric patients and their families.(More info on the circus below) Or, you could catch her stilt walking at any number of special events. She also might be…performing as any number of characters for the Big Apple Circus Vaudeville Caravan program at the Montrose and Castle Point Veterans Hospitals. And, of course, you might find her…teaching yoga at Devotion Yoga Studio in Hoboken, NJ (mostly Monday and Friday nights, but some other times as well). And, never forget that sometimes she’s cleaning chimneys – okay, not for real – but I just looking for an ending!!!

Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program: is a community outreach program of the Big Apple Circus, anaward winning presenter of live family entertainment and a leadingnot-for-profit performing arts institution.Using juggling, mime, magic, music, puppetry, storytelling and lots ofimprovisation, we are specially trained “doctors of delight” who bring thejoy and excitement of the one ring circus to the bedsides of hospitalizedchildren one to five days each week, year round, nationwide. As MeredithVieira, our national spokesperson and honorary clown doctor, phrased it:From ringside to bedside! Clown Care makes “clown rounds,” a parody ofmedical rounds where humor is the prescribed treatment. As “clown doctors”,we are professional performers who work one-on-one with the children, theirparents, and hospital staff to ease the stress of serious illness byreintroducing laughter and fun as natural parts of life.A national network of host hospitals, generous contributions and grants fromindividuals, foundations and corporations support Clown Care.
Website: bigapplecircus.org

Storytelling Arts: Here’s the organization I do a lot of storytelling residencies in schools with: They are dedicated to bringing the art of storytelling to underserved populations. Storytelling Arts works with schools and community organizations to bring the benefits of storytelling to a varied audience. Storytelling Arts programs serve to boost literacy and build community through:
Classroom residencies in schools
Professional development opportunities for teachers
Programs in community organizations
Educational services in juvenile detention centers
Website: storytellingarts.net
Devotion Yoga: Devotion Yoga is a community dedicated to creating a safe, peaceful, and non-competitive environment which offers individuals the opportunity to learn the practice of yoga through classes, workshops and related events. We are committed to providing high quality, inspiring, unique, and balanced programming that support our members in living a healthy and fulfilling life.
Website: devotionyoga.com

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

NOT ACCORDING TO SCHEDULE
I was supposed to have done two storytelling workshops at the Boys and Girls Club by this time. I was supposed to have done three performances at the Grounds for Sculpture by this date. But apparently, I, like everyone else living in the Northeast, has been informed that Mother Nature has other plans for us.
To be perfectly honest, all the snow, and even the ice, makes me smile. I love the way it coats the trees, buildings and cars, making everything look sparkly and magical. Last week, as I sunk knee deep into the freshly fallen snow, I looked up at the archway of “fairy dusted” trees, tugged down my new favorite winter hat, and giggled. When I was a kid, I remember saying that snow was the main difference between children and adults – kids LOVE it, adults HATE it!! I even – and I know how incredibly odd this is going to sound – like to shovel. I do! Maybe it’s my macho “I may be short, but I can kick anybody’s bootie” side – but I dig (pun totally intended!!) pushing aside all that white stuff, like Moses parting the Red Sea. And, of course, the cold weather completely feeds into my OBESSION with winter hats – some people are into the shoe thing, others purses –for me, it’s hats!! With hair that is never more than a quarter of an inch long if that, hats are essential in the cold months, and I embrace that. In fact, if you suspect I keep my hat so short that it makes hat wearing easier, you’d be almost right (the fact that I’m a LMG – low maintenance girl - from the way back, and sweat at the gym , dance class and/or yoga every day are the other reasons) Every year when the Christmas markets go up at Union Square, my husband and I spend one cold afternoon finding me a new funky, outrageous, WARM chapeau (this year’s model is one of those Mohawk ones – LOVE IT!!) So, this year’s weather’s MOSTLY hasn’t made me blue – except that it has disrupted my all important SCHEDULE!!!
You see, I got up at 5:15AM the day after the first snowstorm – okay, blizzard, watched garbage cans flying through the air, and was completely certain I was going to get to where I was supposed to go that day AS I HAD PLANNED, before my husband, practically restrained me from leaving our apartment. And while others were watching the ice form on anything that stood still more than a heart beat from their toasty homes the other day, I was making my way to a gig THAT WAS ON MY CALENDAR, never dreaming it was cancelled – which it was, and they never called me because they assumed I was sane (news flash – not so much!! ) and wouldn’t even venture out. The snow, the ice, the sleet, the hail, the total lack of street parking wasn’t going to stop me, because I HAVE A SCHEDULE!!!! But we all know that quote about what God/Universe does when people make plans…
It’s a lesson that I have a heck of a time coming to grips with – that things DO NOT always go as planned!! I can write it in as many of my little calendars as I like. I can prepare for my performances, get my directions, confirm details with my contacts, but that does not mean things are going to happen the way I have conjured them up in my very creative little mind. In fact they seldom do!! But, a lot of the time, how they turn out, is even better. In one of my favorite stories to tell, Lazy Jack, sets out looking for a job, any job, and he ends of marrying into a very rich family – it wasn’t on his day planner – but it happened. In another story, the Knee High Man doesn’t expect to find self acceptance, but he does. And, in one of my most cherished tales, a woman doesn’t give things to others for a reward, but the gifts of friendship, kindness, and compassion she ends up receiving are as beautiful, as they are unexpected.
So, even though I take ENORMOUS pride in being able to juggle my complex storyteller/clown/yoga teacher schedule – I’ve got to remember that there will be bumps in the road – sometimes figuratively, but sometimes, like this winter – real ones, made of ice and snow.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

I’m involved in three different school residencies right, so most of my work is for them at the moment. Below are some places the general public can come and see me!!


February 2011:
2/2: Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ 10:15, 11:15, 12:15
2/8: Hillside Library, NJ 4PM
2/21: State Theatre of NJ, New Brunswick 3 shows time:TBA
2/23: Westfield Library, NJ 7PM

March 2011:
3/23: Fairfield Library, Fairfield, NJ 6:30PM
3/27: Franklin Township Library Storytelling Festival, Franklin, NJ Time TBA

April 2011:
4/9: Elevate Yoga, Hazelet, NJ - storytelling and yoga class for adults Time TBA
4/13: Keansburg Library, Keansburg, NJ 3:30PM

June 2011
6/7:Fair Haven Library, NJ 3:15PM

August 2011:
8/23: Oceanic Library, Rumson, NJ 3:30PM




So,,, where is Julie when she’s not storytelling?
She might be….Performing as Dr. Ima Confused, her character for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program at Harlem Hospital for the pediatric patients and their families. Or, you could catch her stilt walking at any number of special events. She also might be…performing as any number of characters for the Big Apple Circus Vaudeville Caravan program at the Montrose and Castle Point Veterans Hospitals. And, of course, you might find her…teaching yoga at Devotion Yoga Studio in Hoboken, NJ (mostly Monday and Friday nights, but some other times as well). And, never forget that sometimes she’s cleaning chimneys – okay, not for real – but I just looking for an ending!!!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

The following list includes my public performances only. No school, private performances, or any of my artist in residence work is listed here. Things change from time to time, so do be sure to check the schedule.




January 2011:
1/17: Unitarian Society, Ridgewood, NJ 1PM
1/23: South Mountain YMCA, Maplewood, NJ 4PM

February 2011:
2/2: Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ 4PM
2/8: Hillside Library, NJ 4PM
2/21: State Theatre of NJ, New Brunswick 3 shows time:TBA
2/23: Westfield Library, NJ 7PM




So,,, where is Julie when she’s not storytelling?
She might be….Performing as Dr. Ima Confused, her character for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program at Harlem Hospital for the pediatric patients and their families. Or, you could catch her stilt walking at any number of special events. She also might be…performing as any number of characters for the Big Apple Circus Vaudeville Caravan program at the Montrose and Castle Point Veterans Hospitals. And, of course, you might find her…teaching yoga at Devotion Yoga Studio in Hoboken, NJ (mostly Monday and Friday nights, but some other times as well). And, never forget that sometimes she’s cleaning chimneys – okay, not for real – but I just looking for an ending!!!

A Language Lover is Born

I saw a young man fall in love with language this month. While that sight would always be a gratifying thing, always make me do my happy dance just a little bit, this was even more remarkable, because this event took place in a small classroom, not in a school, but in a prison.
Over the last year and a half, my work with Storytelling Arts Inc. (an organization dedicated to bringing the power of storytelling to underserved populations) has led me into three Youth Detention Centers. And, each time I speak to people about this work, they are dumbfounded. “Are you nuts??? Aren’t you scared?? Do they listen??” – are some of the questions I hear from concerned and confused friends and family. I smile, because, frankly, I have asked myself the exact same things. So, as much for myself, as for anyone who might be reading this, I’ll answer those very sensible queries.
1) Are you nuts?? - Of course, I am, but that doesn’t have anything to do with this!
2) Aren’t you scared?? – Yes, but not in the way one might think. I’m not scared because I think I will be in any danger. I don’t envision burly men charging across the table trying to “shiv” me. No, I’m scared – well, nervous, actually, that I will not have the goods to reach through to these young people – these kids. Because that is what they are – kids. They are children – even if they would never call themselves that – who have made a bad choice. And who amongst us, has not? They are human, and the one thing I know “for sure” – as Oprah likes to say - is that humans are more alike than different. We all feel emotions, we all, in one way or another seek connection. The art of storytelling is all about connecting with the audience. A tale simply isn’t a tale until it has been told, shared with other human beings. And that, is my worry, that I will not be committed enough, articulate enough, interesting enough to touch these youths. Because folktales have the goods to inspire, teach, and move EVERYONE. With their archetypical characters, intriguing plots, they leave behind them a wake of interesting points to mull over, and to learn from. And, when I see audiences – be they five year olds, or the inmates in the Detention Centers, respond to storytelling, I know it’s not me, it’s the story. All I did was put it out there in a way they could hear. So, that’s my fear, that I won’t find the “way in” with my telling. Because if I can…well, let’s move onto the next question, shall we?
3) Do they listen?? – YES, THEY DO!! I have seen a young man, that I was told was a double murder, follow my every word like his life depended on it. I have seen another young man, whom I thought was asleep; lift his head, and his voice, to defend a character in a story. And, this past month, I saw that young man fall in love with language right before my eyes. He, and his “pod” had been told a wonderful story, by a wonderful storyteller – Paula Davidoff, the day before, and he and two other fellows, stood, in front of their peers to retell it. (AND LET’S JUST STOP AND ACKNOWLEDGE HOW VERY AWESOME THAT ALONE WAS!!!!) While the other two young men were more confident, and outgoing, this fellow – I’ll call J, was shy, stiff, and self conscious. With his hands tightly clasped behind his back, and his eyes lowered, he only spoke when his two companions “threw” him the story. But, then, half way through the story or so – he began to describe a horse as “strong and bold”. As he said those words, he too, became strong and bold. His body came alive, his eyes afire, and anyone could see his relish in saying that combination of words “strong and bold”. The little group then told another tale – this one they invented, and this time J was animated right from the start, interjecting wonderfully fluid language and body gestures throughout the piece. It was like seeing a flower blossom – the entire energy of the room had shifted and changed. One could say it was a moment of victory, because that story, those words “strong and bold”, had reached into J, and touched on something that had lay dormant within him. He had forged a true connection with that tale. And, connection is not only what storytelling is about, but what life is about as well. For to quote a book I just finished reading, “When you practice mindful connection, your life feels meaningful, and so it is.”

My Life as a M.O.

My life as a M.O.

The words “motivational speaker” jumped off the page at me. I have been called A LOT of things in my life – everything from creative to hyper to short – but never in my whole entire life had I ever been called a “motivational speaker”, and yet, that’s what I was being asked to be in a project I began this month for Storytelling Arts.
In my brain, a “motivational speaker” is someone like Tony Robbins – particularly in that Jack Black movie from a few years ago “Shallow Hal”. Kind of tall, in a dark business suit, sprouting phrases like “Think outside the box!” or “Follow your bliss!” while running power point presentations in large ballrooms. And, while I have trouble even finding the proverbial “box”, and, if becoming a storytelling dancer clown who teaches yoga isn’t following ones bliss, I don’t know what the heck is – I just couldn’t cozy up to the label “motivational speaker” (hereto referred to as M.O.) But, like we outside the box bliss followers sometimes have to do – I had to make it work. Lucky for me, folktales saved my un-Tony Robbins-like rear end!
I don’t know where real M.O.’s get material that will at once teach life lessons, while keeping a crowd interested and hanging on their every word. But, all I had to do was go to my friends and teachers - my folktale anthologies. Within the world of folktales are a great many stories that teach us things we all need to learn. Like the Jewish story “Feathers”, that tells of a woman who, after spreading rumors about everyone is sent before the judge. To teach her a lesson about the dangers of gossiping, he instructs her to take a feather pillow outdoors, shake out all the feathers, and then try to get them back in again. When she finds that the feathers blow away, and that she can’t get them back inside the pillow, the judge informs her that it is the same things for words. Once they leave our lips, we can never get them back again.
It was “Feathers” that I told a group of 5th and 6th graders in my role of M.O., and the “Ooooh, I get it!” that came at the end of the story made me smile. The discussion we had after that story, told me that there was no better entry into this topic than the wisdom of the ancients who had created this gem of a tale. Back then, they didn’t have power points – they had stories. Stories that spoke, and continue to speak in a language we all can understand. Stories that don’t hit us over the head with a point, but rather, offer themselves up so that everyone can discover the lessons wrapped in them on their own.
Whenever I’m asked what I do for a living, I always joke and say, “I’m a storyteller/dancer/clown/yoga instructor/chimney sweep – just kidding about the last one!” But, maybe I’ve got a better, and perhaps truer, punch line, maybe, thanks to my pals, the folktales, I can say I’m a storyteller/dancer/clown/yoga instructor/motivational speaker/chimney sweep – hey, the chimney sweep part is too funny to lose!!