Shanti Das is a music industry veteran and the founder of the “Silence the Shame” podcast, which is focused on increasing mental health awareness.
On Aug. 13, Das invited Les Twins on her platform for a live recording of their experience as professional dancers, working with Beyoncé, and how they manage their mental health. The event was attended by youth organizations like PACE Academy, Jack and Jill of America, and Lotus.
Das opened up to rolling out about the inspiration behind her podcast.
What inspired “Silence the Shame” podcast to work with The Kids Write Network?
We made a connection with The Kids Write Network and they told us they were coming to Atlanta to launch this incredible program with a local school here, PACE Academy, and that they were doing this program with Les Twins. Of course, I’m a huge fan of their work and Beyoncé and they asked us to come on board and support the initiative and movement. We were proud to become their community partner, to help get the word out to bring other youth to the event today so that they can talk about what the North America RISE for Mental Health Tour is and how to utilize dance as a form of wellness for our youth.
What was accomplished from the live recording featuring Les Twins?
I think more than anything, community awareness. As you mentioned, we had students here from Jack and Jill, from PACE Academy, and we had different people from different ethnicities, backgrounds, and so forth. We also had some press in the house like rolling out, so we did a great job of letting the community know what’s to come, take an in-depth look at Les Twins, see how powerful they are, and how much they do outside of their dance careers. It was just a beautiful thing. We’re just happy that we were able to help bring community partnership and awareness to the North America RISE for Mental Health Tour, The Kids Write Network, and Les Twins.
What do you do for your mental health?
For me, in terms of self-care, I get up every day and I start from a place of prayer. I also take walks and I listen to music. I think from what Les Twins is doing, even with the North America RISE for the Mental Health Tour, they’re showing that connection and power of dance and movement. For me, I turn on my favorite songs, I’m dancing, and I used to post a lot of my little dance videos on Instagram. It’s about movement, getting active, and still incorporating music into my mental health regimen.
