What's On at the Scottish Storytelling Centre
The season is full of adventures that you can embark on, whether you're looking for ways to entertain your wee ones, engage with visual art and stories, or have a fabulous folk music night in town. Explore our seasonal events guide !

This week's family programme kicks off with Tiny Tales , where Julie Bannatyne will take little adventurers ( aged 1-3yrs ) on a journey to meet the bears, followed by Friday's potion of stories, songs and music, brewed for all ages by Gica Loening and Claire McNicol.

Don't miss your chance to become a hero by helping a dragon in distress and stopping eternal winter, in the children's theatre production The Stolen Dragon Adventure ( age 4+ ).

John Slavin 's exhibition Painting the Wonder Tales ( ends Sat 16 Feb ) is the backdrop for an afternoon of spring stories and spontaneous sounds engaging all the family, celebrating the colourful Wonder Tales . If you enjoy the vibrant exhibition as much as we do, you should reserve a place in our Narrative Art and Poetry workshop to explore the relationship between the spoken word and the visual image.

Love is in the air at Café Voices on Valentine's Thursday, celebrating the world's best feeling in all its shapes and forms with stories and contributions from the audience!

It's party time on Friday, as Loud Poets are hosting their birthday with a Big Bada-boom and Edinburgh's Singing Club invites you out to the Waverley Bar for a tune with Allan Taylor .

Dancers can network and improve their skills at Edinbal's monthly European dance session and later this week we'll be hosting an event that celebrates Mats Melin 's new book A Story to Every Dance , with copies available in our Bookshop.

Come and join the fun!

Annemarie & Lindsay
(and all the Storytelling Centre Team)

Tue 12 Feb | 10am & 11.30am (40mins)
£5 per child | 1-3yrs

Look out! There are bears about.

Visit the house of the bears with Goldilocks, meet a brave marmot, help little bear go to sleep and venture on a bear hunt.

Join  Julie Bannatyne  for a fun morning of action songs and stories.
Tue 12 & Thu 14 Feb | 2pm (2hrs)
Free (ticketed) | All ages

Spring stories and spontaneous sounds for all the family under the backdrop of new paintings by  John Slavin .

Come and listen or bring a turn yourself to celebrate the wonder tales of Scottish Traveller Duncan Williamson.
Wed 13 Feb | 7pm (2hrs)
£5 (£3) (£2.50 SCS)

From the lyrical mazurka and the smooth waltz, to the social and energetic Breton dances, or the rhythmic schottische, these workshops will introduce you to the European version of ceilidh dancing – bal folk!

The workshops are independent from each other and suitable for complete beginners with a mixture of teaching, social dancing and live music. Light shoes with smooth soles recommended.
Thu 14 Feb | 7pm (2hrs)
£5 (£4.50 SCS)

Love shows itself in all forms, sometimes when we’re least expecting it. 

Join us on Valentine’s night for an evening of loving stories with guest storyteller  Claire Hewitt .

The Centre’s monthly storytelling session, with an open-floor section for storytellers to tell their own tales, all in the relaxed surroundings of the Storytelling Court.
Fri 15 Feb | 11am (1hr)
£5 per child | All Ages

Musician  Gica Loening  & storyteller  Claire McNicol  share a mix of songs, rhymes, music and stories aimed at children under five with older siblings welcome.

Working with children and parents in Early Years Centres in North Edinburgh and Musselburgh over the last four years, Gica and Claire are delighted to recreate some of the MAB magic in the lovely Storytelling Court!

Snowdrops may well feature as we welcome the spring!
Fri 15 Feb | 2pm (2hrs 30)
£16 (£12 FM)

Explore the relationship between creative narrative in visual art and in poetry.

Artist  John Slavin with storyteller and poet  David Campbell  foster responses to the exhibition  Painting the Wonder Tales , which celebrates the relationship between Bride, Lady of poetry, and Duncan Williamson, King of storytellers.
Fri 15 Feb | 7.30pm (2hrs 30)
£8 (£6) (£5.50 SCS)

One of the UK’s most successful spoken word collectives return with their monthly showcase of the UK’s top spoken word talent.

This is make some noise, fist-thumping, pint-drinking, side-tickling, heartwrenching poetry. This is poetry for the masses.

‘Throughout there’s a humour, poignancy and most of all a confidence which serves to inspire.’( Scotsman )
Fri 15 Feb | 8pm (2hrs 30)
By donation (suggest £5)

With a repertoire drawn from the bothy ballads of the rural north east,  Allan Taylor  makes his debut at the World’s Room.

Join in the choruses or even contribute a song yourself at Edinburgh’s monthly traditional singing night. Upstairs at the Waverley Bar , St Mary’s St.
Sat 16 Feb | 11am (50mins)
£5 per child | 4+

Join Adventuretellers  Brooke Conway  and  Hannah Mathieson  on a story-quest to save the golden dragon and her newly laid eggs from the grasps of a lonely wizard.

Together you will conquer fears and face mystical characters, travelling through jungles, enchanted forests, lagoons and snow storms ’til you reach the wizard’s ruined tower in the snowy mountains.

Can you save the dragon, or will we be trapped in an eternal winter forever?
Sat 16 Feb | 3pm (1hr 15)
£10 (£8) (£7.50)

The Scottish solo dance tradition is peppered with stories attached to specific dances which appear in Highland Games and performance programmes.

Many of these stories suggest an origin for a dance anchored in a distant past, but they may also form some level of meaning-making. Are they even true?

Join  Mats Melin  as he celebrates his new book with stories, songs, and dance, featuring storyteller  David Francis  and musician  Sarah Hoy .
Fri 1 - Sat 16 Feb | 10am - 6pm
Free

A three-fold exhibition of visual art, storytelling and folk music to celebrate the ancient Celtic festival of Imbolc, the season of rebirth as spring awakens.

New original paintings by  John Slavin  illustrating the wonder tales of Scottish Traveller storyteller Duncan Williamson inspire gatherings of poetry, song, story and music.