PAOLA BALBI

(ITALY)

Storyteller and artistic director of the Festival

Professional actress and storyteller with 20 years of experience, Paola Balbi is the most famous Storytelling artist in Italy and one of the most praised and renowned in the whole of Europe since 2003. She is founder and co-artistic director of Raccontamiunastoria Storytelling Company, the leadins storytelling Company in Italy and of the International Storytelling Festival of Rome. She has been a founding member of Fest (Federation for Europena Storytelling), serving on the board for two year.

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DAVIDE BARDI

(ITALY)

Storyteller, musician and artistic director of the Festival

Professional actor and storyteller, Davide is Paola Balbi's businnes and stage partner since 2007. He is co-artistic director of Raccontamiunastoria Storytelling Company and Raccontamiunastoria International Storytelling Festival. Davide has served on the Board of FEST (Federation for European Storytelling) from 2013 to 2016. Alongside with being a performer in his own right, Davide is also a musician. He plays guitar, harmonica and several percussions.

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DAVID AMBROSE

(WALES - UK)

Storyteller and consultant artistic director of the Festival - (Thanks to the "BRITISH COUNCIL" for supporting the participation and activities of British artists David Ambrose and Michael Harvey through their project "UK/UAE 2017 Year of Creative Collaboration")

David has been at the forefront of the storytelling revival in the United Kingdom for the past 20 years, as a promoter, a performer, and as Artistic Director of Beyond The Border Wales International Storytelling Festival. As a performance storyteller, he tells for both adult and children’s audiences, performing regularly in theaters, community centers and schools across Wales, and appearing at international festivals around the world. He is also a founder member of the Tales

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FIDAA ATAYA

(PALESTINE)

Storyteller

Fidaa is a traditional storyteller, Puppeteer, drama-in-education specialist and actress. She has performed with Hidden Theatre (Italy), The Freedom Theatre (Palestine). Fidaa is also the founder and director of Kan Yama Kan group and Al Jarousheh Theatre and Art and Activism residency. She has worked with schools, organizations and activist groups across Palestine. Fidaa is also a Palyback Theatre pratictioner in the Freedom Bus troupe. https://fidaataya.wordpress.com

LAMYA TAWFIK

(EGYPT- DUBAI RESIDENT)

Storyteller and translator into arabic

Lamya is a Dubai-bred/based Egyptian performing artist. She's a writer, translator, comedienne, actress and storyteller. When she's not wearing any of these hats herself, she enjoys being a host of the UAE web program The Camel Stub which offers previews and reviews fot the UAE performing arts scene. Lamya holds a BA and MA in Journalism and Mass Communication from the American University in Cairo and a Doctorate Degree in Childhood Studie from the Mass Communication and Child Culture Department ...

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ABBI PATRIX

(FRANCE)

Storyteller - (Thanks to "ALLIANCE FRANCAISE DUBAI" for supporting the participation and activities of the French artist Abbi Patrix) musician and artistic director of the Festival

Trained at the Drama School Jacques Lecoq in Paris, Abbi Patrix has been exploring the art of storytelling for the past thirty years with his Compagnie du Cercle, founded by him in 1980. Working either as a solo performer or with other artists, he has a taste for mixing the spoken word with other disciplines such as dance, music and mime. His work is at the cross-roads of theatre, music and movement, enriched by multidisciplinary material, on a permanent quest for new ways and voices to enrich the form of ...

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MARTINA PISCIALI

(ITALY)

Storyteller

Martina is a young talented storyteller and one of Paola Balbi's most brilliant diciples. She has worked extensively with Raccontamiunastoria for the last five years both as staff and artist at Storytelling Festivals. She is founder of Storytelling Torino, Storytelling Company in the north of Italy. Martina loves to travel and discover stories from different cultures, but is also very passionate about traditional heritage stories related to the landscape of her native Dolomite mountains.

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GERMANA DE RUVO

(ITALY)

Storyteller

Germana is a young trained actress and talented storyteller. She has worked with Raccontamiunastoria for the last three years both as staff and artist at Storytelling Festivals. A true roman, Germana loves to tell stories about her ancient city and culture, but during her stay in Dubai, she has developed a real passion for the Middle East, its traditions and stories.

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KAMINI RAMACHANDRAN

(SINGAPORE)

Storyteller

Asia's leading storyteller, based in Singapore. Chairwoman of Asian network of storyteller and artistic director of Singapore International Storytelling Festival. Professor of Storytelling at LASALLE College of the Arts. She is a specialist storytelling trained for tertiary level programmes in Arts Management, Animation, Art Therapy, Arts Education, Theatre & Drama Studies and more. She has gained an internatioanl presence with invitations to present keynotes, conduct workshops and ...

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MICHAEL HARVEY

(WALES - UK)

Storyteller and drum player - (Thanks to the "BRITISH COUNCIL" for supporting the participation and activities of British artists David Ambrose and Michael Harvey through their project "UK/UAE 2017 Year of Creative Collaboration")

Leading artist in the Storytelling Revival in the UK. Welshman Michael Harvey is an award winning storyteller who travels the world telling stories to people of all ages. He works solo as well as with musicians, singers, dancers and visual artists. He tells stories from all over the world and is specialized in Welsh and Celtic material. Michael has told stories throughout the UK and Europe as well festivals in north and south America. Most of his work is in either English or Welsh and occasionally both...

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MATS REHNMAN

(SWEDEN)

Storyteller

Mats Rehnman is a professional storyteller, living in Stockholm and a leading artist on the scene of the Iternational Storytelling Revival. Since 1987 he has performed all around Sweden for children, youth and adult-audiences on commission from cultural centres, schools, libraries, theatres, companies, radio, festivals etc, with traditional and original stories. He is also involved in international cooperations with storytellers and groups. He is often seen as featured performer on festivals and storytelling clubs...

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SEUNG AH KIM

(SOUTH KOREA)

Storyteller

Seung Ah Kim is the founder of Arirang Storytelling Concert and counts herself as Korea's first professional storyteller. Inspired by the folktales her grandmother told her as a child. Seung Ah tells Korean folk stories in a dynamic and interactive way that is engaging for audiences of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities. Her performances combine traditional Korean folktales and mythology with contemporary stories from her own life.

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FARAH NASRAWI

(PALESTINE/SINGAPORE)

Painter

A recovered neurotic. Jane-of-all-trades. A proud hybrid. Interior designer. Artist. Upcycler. Colour expert. Volunteer. Dreamer. Farah is an interior designer with ten years experience in the UAE market. The prominent presence of art is evident in Farah's work, where she tells stories through painting. She has live-painted at key local events, including Emirates NBD, Accenture, Bold Talks and Mirdif City Centre. Her love for art and interiors encouraged her to create her own personal brand, a fusion of eclectict art and interior objects that enrich living spaces.

www.farahnasrawi.com