upfront
Daniel Morden
Feature
Beyond The Border: the celebrated storytelling festival is back
Thirty years since its inception, Beyond The Border stands tall as one of Europe’s leading storytelling festivals, and this month Wales’ rich mythology is again celebrated through guests renowned for their talents in telling a ripping yarn. Billy Edwards plucks six of the best from its 2023 programme.
N’famady Kouyaté A repeat onstage guest of Super
reworkings of folk songs from his homeland with new Welsh lyrics, he will also perform with his full band of West-African mu- sicians, The Successors Of The Mandingue. A djembe drumming workshop will also be offered.
his novel
Furry Animal Gruff Rhys, Car- diff-based Kouyaté will lead a demonstration of the balafon, a traditional Guinean wooden xy- lophone. Known for
favourite topic, Ancient Greek mythology. This edition of Be- yond The Border will host the sendoff of Morden’s group, The Devil’s Violin – where his spoken word parts are backed by fiddler Oli Wilson-Dickson and Sarah Moody on cello – as they hold their last ever performance any- where.
Stéphanie Bénéteau &
Michael Harvey Welsh and Quebecois folklore collide, as this year the festival has joined forces with the Montre- al Intercultural Storytelling Festi- val to deliver The Languages Of Storytelling, a one-off production from two cherished storytellers. It’s the work of Stéphanie Béné- teau – a well-respected Canadian performer with a personal interest in stories about women overcom- ing adversary – and festival stal- wart Michael Harvey, who wears his love for the Celtic oral tradi- tion on his sleeve. Expect a rivet- ing exploration of the barriers and freedoms caused by languages in telling stories.
Deborah Winter
Daniel Morden Children’s author Morden is
Joe Baele
bringing stories of a supernatural kind ahead of
book Strange Tales. Known for presenting storytelling documen- taries on BBC Radio Wales, he’s particularly enlightening on his
his forthcoming 24
Dubbed the ‘anarchic Musketeer’, Baele brings his crowd-pleasing qualities he forged as a profes- sional clown all the way from Belgium. He endeavours to carry the mantle of the Dutch ‘fabula- tori’ – the traveling storytellers of yesteryear – reflected through his authentic 1930s gypsy caravan. A keen ear for his storytelling re- veals an enjoyment for the stark contrasts of life: visit Baele’s per- formance and you are likely to be
thrilled by battles over good and evil, fear and passion, and victory and disaster.
Three Musketeers, with Hugh Lupton and Joe Baele.
Christine Watkins Priestess storyweaver Christine
Watkins presents four volumes of transformative stories explor- ing the rituals of The Washers. She has effectively elevated the processes by which our belong- ings are cleaned into a method to develop spiritual renewal. Her pieces include River Wash These Bones, which evokes what can be learned from the salmon’s sea- sonal return to the rivers they call home, and The Washer At The Ford – an otherworldly storytell- ing walk in search of Modron, a paranormal washerwoman.
TUUP
Deborah Winter With singing cellist Ailsa Mair
TUUP
The Unorthodox, Unprecedent- ed Preacher, a highly respected elder figure of the contemporary storytelling revival in Britain, will be a major draw to the festival due to his exciting new perfor- mance, Children Of The Sweet Water. It fuses the medieval leg- end of half-human, half-fish crea- ture Melusine with an electronic soundtrack performed by mem- bers of Transglobal Underground – veteran ethno-techno festival faves and regular collaborators of TUUP’s. A good prospect for those who enjoy an element of science fiction in their fairytales – and what’s more, he will be one-third of a fun retelling of The
Fox, Winter will be presenting Se- crets And Silences. The pair were both awarded the Esyllt Harker Commission in 2021, which is given to Welsh female perfor- mance storytellers that particular- ly astound audiences. Each win- ner is tasked with creating a new piece for the next festival, and so their result is a strikingly shaman- ic affair and a creative testament to Winter’s latest experiments with musical improvisation. Their story promises to be the spookiest of the weekend, as they assume the guise of two sisters divided by a shadowy secret.
Beyond The Border,
Dinefwr, Carmarthenshire, Fri 7-Sun 9 July. Tickets: £154. Info:
beyondtheborder.com
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