Storyteller
Kiran Shah (Singapore/Australia)
Kiran Shah discovered storytelling as a profession 14 years ago and realised just how right it was for her. Her background in social work, early childhood education (with work experiences in the U.S., Japan and Sri Lanka for up to 2 years in each country, with shorter stints in Myanmar, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia) and as a bookseller all were perfect foundations for her journey into storytelling. She rediscovered her Indian heritage through folktales and being born and raised in Singapore, is especially interested in bringing Asian folktales to a wider audience. She co-founded the Asian Storytelling Network in 2001, Singapore’s first professional storytelling company and has been performing and training to a wide audience in a variety of venues, from schools to parks to museums. Kiran tells to a wide audience from toddlers to adults, including the military in Singapore and oil executives in Malaysia. She has helped to plan and coordinate storytelling congresses in Singapore from 2002-2006, helping to bring in renowned tellers from around the world. Kiran has been called one of the Godmothers of Storytelling in Singapore and was the founder president of the Storytelling Association, Singapore in 2006, Singapore’s first association of professional storytellers. She has performed at festivals locally and internationally (Australia 2003 and 2005, Jakarta 2005, Skye 2006, Penang 2011) and also conducted workshops on storytelling. Kiran moved to Australia in 2008 where she continues to share her love for Asian tales at parks, art galleries and schools. She is an accredited member of the Australian Storytelling Guild NSW and has also participated in the Darwin Festival in 2010, the Sydney Children’s Festival in 2011 and the Illawarra Folk Festival in 2012.