Nouvelles et Événements

World Storytelling Day report: Veronica Antipolo ‘Synchronicity’

We celebrated the theme of World Storytelling Day 2023, “Together We Can” with Synchronicity Storytelling. It’s a mild March evening sandwiched between the snowy, blowy, and icy days. It’s not even dark yet outside, as an audience of friends, family, and strangers drift in. The new storytellers - Cynthia, Eleanor, Jag, and Zina - pace, sit much too still, while some sit much too fidgety. I greet each individual personally and warmly like a guest in our home versus like a viewer of a show. No one, both tellers and audience, know exactly what to expect.  For most, this is their introduction to true, personal storytelling. 

“You know why this is called Synchronicity?” I ask our audience, with a smile and a smize (smiling with my eyes) because I’m much too excited to share the why. “Because during a late-night Google search rabbit hole, I stumbled upon an article about the science of spontaneous synchronization on BigThink.com that reads ‘From lightning bugs flashing in rhythm in a summer field, to an audience’s thunderous applause somehow falling into a beat, life and the Universe offer multiple, remarkable examples of spontaneous synchronization across populations…there are still deep mysteries about how this occurs.’ The stories you hear may be different from your own, but you’ll find a connection to one or all that will ‘sync’ in.” I think I’m punny. 

There’s lots of research and articles about how although the pandemic has ended, feelings of isolation and disconnection continue. 

In the 5 years that I’ve been telling and producing storytelling events, I’ve seen the fast and impactful connections made when personal stories are shared regardless of everyone’s diverse life experiences and backgrounds. In the science of synchronization this is like the coupling, or the connection, that occurs to make this phenomenon happen. Coupling happens when frequencies really tune into each other. But guess what? It happens in nature and with inanimate objects! We as humans, who are part of nature, are wired to connect.

At this event, in addition to telling and hearing stories, everyone is encouraged to “talk to at least one person you don’t know, and/or talk to a teller whose story you really resonated with” during intermission, and during the 45 minutes after the stories done, until we shut down. 

The energy, the energy, the energy in the room is what I heard about at the event. I heard about it a week after. A month later, I still hear about it. No one knew what to expect but they felt great after. A few people wanted to learn more about storytelling and a few want to dive right in and tell at future events, and many just wanted more.

This evening wasn’t just about listening passively to stories, and going home. It was about really tuning into each other. It was about authentic connection to each other beyond an event. It’s about Synchronicity.

For the event video:  https://sassylav.com/eventsandworkshops