StorySquad is a storytelling group based in Oslo, Norway, consisting of four members; Ine Mariel Solbakken, Synne Marie Lillenes, Karla Suzanne Øfjord and Thea Madelen Petersen. The group met at the Oral Storytelling study at Oslo Metropolitan University in 2017, led by Master Storyteller Mimesis Heidi Dahlsveen. StorySquad was born in January 2018 and strives to preserve and stage the traditional form of oral Storytelling. By using body, voice and other means, StorySquad wants to create internal imagery, thus the audience is invited to travel into the story itself. We want to be an alternative to the screen, and tell stories about relevant issues which can contribute to make traditional material more available for our audience; children, adolescents or adults. We also work with personal stories, which is quite popular in Norway these days, as well as experimenting with elements of personal stories into our performances of the traditional stories.
StorySquad works with stories told solo, in duos and group performances. We work with folktales, myths and legends, but also with personal stories. StorySquad’s storytelling style is vibrant and vivid. We tell stories with elements of a capella and rhythms that we make with our own bodies and voices. Characterising the story is also a part of StorySquads style. We offer workshops in oral storytelling and presentation techniques for groups and organizations,
Beside workshops and performances, we have created a new storytelling café for students called “Hva snakker du om?” (What are you talking about) together with a storytelling colleague, Juline Torp D’Alessandro. The shows run 4 times throughout the semester at the local student pub in Oslo.
StorySquad is also a part of an international collaboration between storytellers and shotograpers called Confluence The World. This collaboration has led StorySquad to both Morocco and Scotland with performances and storytelling workshops from 2018 and 2019. In October 2019 we helped to start a new Storytelling and photography festival in Marrakech, Morocco, called “Visions and Stories”. The main goal for 2020 is the creation of a book that will gather both Nordic and Celtic stories and photographs. Ine Mariel and Karla Suzanne are project leaders for the nordic team in the process of creating the book. We are so lucky to have several known storytellers from FEST with us in the nordic team; Mimesis Heidi Dahlsveen (NO), Malin Åberg (SW), Rose-Marie Lindfors (SW), Kasper Sørensen (DK) amongst others. In September 2020 StorySquad will host a residency in Lofoten, in the north of Norway, for all the storytellers and photographers around the world who are joining the project and are part of Confluence The World.
