Carefully crafted into performance, it entertains and elevates. They perform in a variety of ways - solo, accompanied by a couple of drummers or even by a nine piece band. The relationship of the performer with the audience is crucial to the delivery. The feedback is automatic and it really is a great feeling to hear hundreds of people chant along with your poem when that poem has never been written down. The themes of dub poetry are often highly politicised as performers explore issues of central concern for their identity in multilingual, multi-ethnic Britain.
Many teachers are enthusiastic storytellers.
Growing numbers of professionals now bring a bilingual dimension to storytelling. He moulds his tales to the situation, delivering different versions of the same story according to the audience, which can range from nursery children to primary teachers. Roop started his career by telling tales in English but, when asked by a teacher on one occasion to do 'something different', decided to tell the story of Jack and the beanstalk in Panjabi. From this point onwards, Roop Singh has usually told his tales in English and Panjabi, though some schools specifically request just Panjabi. Go to top of page Bilingual story tapes Bilingual stories are a fruitful area for co-operation between teachers, parents and children.