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Arts & Communication Using multiple languages within an improvised fairytale

way to understand complex emotional experiences with beginning of the meeting were resolved within the group,
each other and felt a sense of hope for a shared future. One of and the theme of connection was highlighted. The English
the main observations from this session was that the use of fairytale began with the character of a boy who could not
different languages within the context of collaborative story- laugh despite efforts to influence his emotional state to
making provided shared creative moments that facilitated the point that he became viewed as somewhat of a social
personal connections between participants from China and misfit, which only furthered his misery alongside his
countries in the West. This shared creativity was central community’s ongoing attempts to change him. At the same
to the communication process. In this session, a fairytale time, the Mandarin storyteller introduced the character
creatively resolved two different stories presented in diverse of a jellyfish who was unable to communicate his positive
languages, leading to a renewed sense of community. feelings because no one could hear him as he lived in
The session began with participants verbally reporting another environment entirely and experienced sadness
their experiences since the pandemic had diminished. Two and rejection despite wanting to join with others.
members reported their fear that the fires in their country This development of social misunderstanding and
could indicate the beginning of another international differences led to a creative point for the improvisers that
crisis due to climate change. Other members reported changed the course of the action. First, the differences in
experiences of social isolation and rejection from their languages were reconciled when the Mandarin storyteller
peers stemming from the political fallout of the anti- switched from Mandarin to English and introduced the new
vaccination protest following the health crisis. Members character of the whale into the overall action. Connecting
from China reported a sense of becoming overwhelmed with the whale provided the little boy an opportunity to be
with the recent pervasive spread of COVID-19 illness. understood by a living manual and then to laugh and feel
Finally, one member reported that she had begun to enjoy joy again. The transformation of the boy, who was named
freedom as social restrictions were lifted by the government in the initial story for his inability to laugh, into someone
in her region. There was no clear single theme that united capable of laughter in all languages was significant. The
these concerns, and such differences had the potential to resolution of the language differences, the boy’s inability
breed divisiveness and impact the development of mutual to laugh, and the isolation of the jellyfish gave all who
understanding. engaged in the fairytale – the dancers, musicians, tellers,
The group developed initial dance, art, and and audience members – a sense of hope and appreciation.
poetry/creative writing improvisation in response to these The session that had started with divisive perspectives
reports. These metaphors expressed a sense of coming about the health crisis was transformed by collaborative
out of a withdrawal into a physically felt opening. Art and improvisation into a story about a major change in
poetry expressed both a sense of limited views created by emotional state through creative discovery.
life with COVID-19 alongside the need to move through The open structure of the fairytale was meant to present
darkness into a more positive emotional climate. Even challenges for the storytellers, dancers, and musicians to
though these arts-based communications placed the initial creatively find solutions. Just as mentioned in Haught, the
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concerns within a more metaphorical context, the different moments of resolution in the fairytale came unexpectedly
aspects of this experience were apparent. Taken together, through creative problem-solving and were highly
these expressions evoked a collective unease about life after engaging for participants and audiences. This action is also
the pandemic. similar to the improvisation that addressed finding shared
The fairytale began with the creative challenge of meaning within complex emotional states involved in
finding shared meaning and the transition of these diverse living inquiry, as presented by Sajnani. 16
parts of subjective experiences. As the tale started, the The creative challenges were set up in the structure
story offered; a broad and loose connection to conflicts of the fairytale due to the involvement of different art
the members were experiencing with their reports of forms – dance, music, and fairytale storytelling – and
distress and mismatching of expectations of what the the different languages used in the fairytale. The fairytale
emotional climate of the world might become despite the moved from two stories into a fanciful ending that
sense of freedom that accompanied the lowering of social included a creative shift in the plot, a new character, and
restriction. The fairytale form allowed the storytellers unexpected dramatic action to a surprising conclusion
to introduce a more fanciful and playful approach to that integrated both stories together during a state of
communication within the session. metaphorical communication. This shift is similar to other
Over the course of the fairytale storytelling, the multilingual stories that previously emerged during the
challenges that group members introduced at the Creative Dialogue project and used the suspension of linear

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 11 doi: 10.36922/ac.2079