Travel the World of Stories with Eth-Noh-Tec Storyfest

History-based “Red Altar” the finale to a week of storytelling

 — by Margie Doyle —

“Once Upon a Time… long, long ago…” with those magical, mythical words, the world of entrancing stories opens up to a hungry audience.

Every two years for the last 10 years, Orcas Islanders enjoy StoryFest, a days-long party of story-telling with dance, music and theater through part-time islanders Nancy Wang and Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo and their kinetic storytelling company Eth-Noh-Tec.

This year StoryFest runs from July 28 through July 30, with the following schedule:

• Tue. July 28: “Pajama Tales” at Orcas Library (wear your pj’s!), 6:30 pm (free)
• Tue. July 28: “World of Stories” at Random Howse, 8 pm (Donation $10-20)
• Wed. July 29: “Wisdom & Wit” at Orcas Senior Center, 1:30 pm (free)
• Wed . July 29: “Sacred Stories, Sounds of Spirit” at Emmanuel Parish Hall,
  8 pm (Donation $10-20)
• Thu. July 30: “Red Altar” at Sea View Theater, 8 pm (Donation $10-20)

Eth-Noh-Tec brings back many favorites in their poetic, theatrical storytelling, and this year they will premiere “Red Altar,” which they presented earlier this year at the San Francisco International Arts Festival.

“Red Altar” tells the story of how the Chinese created the fishing industry in Monterey Bay and about the racism they faced,” Wang says. “I don’t think we hear these stories in California history or in American history. These are important stories.”

She says. “One of the primary undercurrents in “Red Altar” goes beyond the specific story of Chinese immigrants in California.The stories of racism and immigration have new relevance today.” As the struggles for justice and community play out, the “tipping points take forever and rarely does anything change. We tend to confuse the ideal with the real.” Storytelling can help create a community of connection and compassion, rather than creating a community of fear and defensiveness.

Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo says stortyelling such as the “Red Altar”  “is about creating a movement of gratitude toward immigrants. It’s everyone. We all descend from immigrants, not just people of color.”

This year, Orcas StoryFest includes local storyteller Antoinette Botsford, sharing stories of her French-Canadian-Metis First Nation culture. StoryFest also features stories of Appalachia with North Carolina storyteller Connie Regan Blake, of Japan with Motoko, of Africa-America with  Eshu  Bumpus,; and musical guest Tom Rawson.

Nancy Wang and Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo return to Orcas — with stories!

Eth-Noh-Tec was founded in 1981 when dancer-theater performer Nancy Wang and musician-theater performer Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo teamed up. “We’d experienced so much competition in those separate arenas, our first story was for the Quaker (Friends) Conference. We put together a story and for us it combined everything, — music, movement and theater, incorporating everything along with our Asian culture. It was perfect for our activism and art forms.”

The story was “The 10,0000 Treasure Cave” with the lesson that riches come only when you share your abundance; that desire for wealth in itself is a trap.

Storytelling is an ancient art form, and “good stories tell of how we come to our own humanity” through resolution of conflict,” Nancy says. “They bring this wonderful sense of what it is to be human. Stories are a way to teach lively children and wayward elders.”

Nancy and Robert leading a storytelling tour in China

When they’re not on Orcas from July through September, Robert and Nancy work from their San Francisco home, writing story scripts, applying for grants, hosting travel to Chinese storytelling villages, and conducting kinetic theater classes, storytelling salons and workshops. They are also enthusiastic about traveling the storytelling circuit, because they get the opportunity to listen to other storytellers weave their web of story entrancement.

Orcas StoryFest relies on local support. This year Eth-Noh-Tec is paying for the venue rentals, and to bring in the off-island storytellers. Three of the events will charge a small donation/admission. The arts non-profit has received $1,000 in assistance from the Friends of the Orcas Public Library.

That leaves Eth-Noh-Tec to arrange for the care and feeding, lodging and transportation of the StoryFest performers, with gratitude for any assistance and benefits that people can offer during StoryFest. They also welcome financial assistance, through donations to their website: https://www.ethnohtec.org/ (where performance DVDs and other merchandise can be purchased), or by mail to Eth-Noh-Tec at 491 Discovery Way, Eastsound 98245. They can be reached at 360-376-8705.