supersonic
Artist Information
Biography
Since 1978 Shanta has been presenting storytelling programs at festivals, colleges, museums, schools and libraries throughout the U.S. She brings a unique blend of music and message to her work.
Career highlights include two storytelling trips to China, as well as appearances at the National Storytelling Festival, Yukon International Storytelling Festival, A(ugusta) Baker's Dozen Storytelling Festival, the Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska and Las Vegas Storytelling Festivals, and the National Festival of Black Storytelling on nine different occasions.
Shanta's children's recording, The Adventures of Shedoobee, has been used to teach English in some elementary schools in southern China and South Korea. She has appeared in instructional videos from the Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Children's Museum.
Shanta has received an Illinois Arts Council Artist Fellowship and a Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award. She has served as Teller-in-Residence at the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, TN. Other awards include grants from the Nevada Arts Council and the American Association of University Women. Shanta has an original story on permanent display at Brookfield Zoo (IL) and has been a storytelling teacher and mentor for many years.
Career Highlights:
National Storytelling Festival
National Geographic Society
Yukon International Storytelling Festival
Adler Planetarium
Chicago Humanities Festival
Arkansas State University
Weber State University Storytelling Festival
Nebraska, Illinois, Las Vegas, and Michigan Storytelling Festivals
The Art Institute of Chicago
University of Wisconsin
A(ugusta) Baker’s Dozen Storytelling Festival
Toledo Museum of Art ~ Penn State University
African Festival of the Arts
Pontiac Correctional Center
Miami-Dade County Library District
DuSable Museum of African-American History
Smoky Hill River Festival ~ University of Chicago
Wild Onion Storytelling Festival
Children’s Memorial Hospital
Kentucky Centre for the Arts ~ Clarion University
The Saint Louis Art Museum ~ The Field Museum
Great River Traditional Music & Crafts Festival
Northwestern University ~ Blissfest
First Nights – Chicago, Springfield, Evanston, and Aurora, IL; Battle Creek, MI; and Mobile, AL
Storytelling tours in the People’s Republic of China
Residencies
Mississippi Valley Blues Society (IA)
International Storytelling Center (TN)
North Dakota Museum of Art
Dixon Elementary School (IL)
Musical Ensembles
Kelan Phil Cohran’s Black Music Workshop
Shanta Nurullah’s Insight
Sojourner
Samana
AACM Big Band
Instrumentation
Shanta - spoken word, djembe, mbira, agogo, zither, and other instruments
Discography
CDs - Light Worker
The Legend of Lajadjie
The Adventures of Shedoobee
VHS - Shanta:Live in China
Video
Photo Gallery
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Shanta in African Garb
Download print quality (high-res) version -
Playing the mbira
Press
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Light Worker
[+ Show ]
Light Worker A captivating African-American storyteller, musician and writer, Shanta Nurullah uti...
Setlist
A 30 to 45 minute set may include these stories:
Monkey and Shark (w/djembe)
Friendship (w/mbira)
The Cow-Tail Switch
The Loving Ones (w/mbira)
The Mamba
Audience participation in songs and stories is often encouraged.
A full concert would be 90 to 120 minutes w/15 min. intermission.
