John holds a Master of Fine Arts degree
from the University of Oregon. He has also won a fellowship from
the Oregon Arts Commission, the Ned Freeman Literary Award from
the American Council of the Blind and Dialogue Magazine's award
for Best Story of the Year.
His annual appearance is a much-looked-forward-to
event in many Northwest schools. Constantly updating and expanding
his repertoire of more than 40 original and traditional tales, John
can present a fresh and exciting program every time he appears.
In The Tradition...
...of the great storyteller or Seanachie (as he was called in Ireland),
John Dashney uses no props, puppets, costumes or any other multimedia
gimmicks. Instead, he relies upon what a reviewer in the Salem Statesman-Journal
called "a rich powerful voice and an effective stage presence."
Grouping his listeners about him,
John spins his tales from the fabric of his imagination, using a
powerful memory, vocal variety, inflection, timing and gestures
to create the image in the mind of the hearer.
In this way, each listener can create his
or her own mental pictures of the scenes
and characters - thus becoming an
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active participant
in the story, rather than a passive onlooker. This stimulates the
imagination and creative power of the audience, as they realize
that things do not have to appear the same way to everyone.
Stories For All Ages
John Dashney has worked with students
in grades K-12. He also has experience working with classes of mentally/emotionally
disturbed, developmentally disabled and physically/mentally handicapped
students. His own handicap, blindness, demonstrates to students
that nothing is impossible for those who try.
John's stories are tailored for specific
age groups. Thus he does not do all-school assemblies, but rather
works with a grade level or one or two classes at a time.
His collection of original and traditional
material ranges from classic tales by Dickens and Hardy to his own
special blend of the fantastic, the eerie and the nonsensical.
Odd rhymes, tongue-twisting alliteration
and verbal gymnastics highligh many of these tales. More than twentty-five
year and five thousand performances have given John the ability
to gauge an audience and to know just which of his many tales will
be the most effective. |
