Hello All, 

My Favorite Bit of Information From The Week:

The Power Of Dance!

Check out Kevin Turner’s Ted Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC-K4IKpOQU

A Bit About Kevin Turner: Kevin Turner is a professional dancer that struggled with bipolar disorder for years before speaking about it openly. He has now created several pieces of art that he performs to help eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health and bi-polar disorder. His Ted Talk speaks on the power of Art, and how it can break down walls and stigmas – both within ourselves and in those around us. 

An Article on Kevin’s Youth Program: https://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2016/oct/18/charity-dance-mental-health-young-people

Why Dance is Good For Your Mental Health (And helps with Dementia prevention): http://neuro.hms.harvard.edu/harvard-mahoney-neuroscience-institute/brain-newsletter/and-brain-series/dancing-and-brain

From The Article Above: “Other studies show that dance helps reduce stress, increases levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin, and helps develop new neural connections, especially in regions involved in executive function, long-term memory, and spatial recognition.” Lack of Serotonin is one of the reasons I deal with depression myself. 

Another example of Dance Breaking Mental Health Stigma: This link goes to a Canadian Dance Group that used art to help break the stigma on mental health. Canada has lower mental health statistics than we do in the states, but they also have been working on the problem longer. They are a hopeful example of how breaking the stigma can truly work in lowering suicide completions and the numbers of those that suffer in silence:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edcDT1ntnmI

Check out the bottom of this E-mail for a list of free dance opportunities in Chicago! If you are not in Chicago, but want help finding free dance in your neighborhood, please E-mail me back and I will gladly help you. 

Update on my Show: 

More edits on the script this week! 
Also, a couple of financial planning sessions – I want to make sure I stay on budget and pay all of my artists and venues accordingly. I find out about some of my grants next week, which should be helpful and I will keep you posted.
Lastly, puppet design conversations! In the next few weeks the puppets will become a reality! I might be tempted to show you one when they arrive, so keep your eyes peeled! 

Thank You: Thank you VERY much to all who have donated thus far, making this project possible. 

Ways to Support: If you would like to donate to my show, share this project with a friend, or find out more about it please check out my gofundme here: https://www.gofundme.com/one-woman-hamlet

Resources:

New Resources From Last Week:

Free Dance Opportunities in Chicago:
1. https://www.eventbrite.com/d/il–chicago/dance-workshop/
2. https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/chicago_summerdance.html

Much love to you all, 

-Kate