On Aug. 13, dance phenomena Les Twins partnered with Kids Write Network and Silence the Shame to host a speaker event. Pace Academy was one of the schools invited, and it was announced that Les Twins would be starting their North American mental health tour at Pace.
Les Twins are a pair of two incredible dancers. Born in France, Larry and Laurent are the youngest siblings out of 18, and they have been dancing ever since they were young. “I started dance at 5 years old because in my family everybody dances… and I really found my own style at 9 years,” said Laurent in a 2011 interview. Since their humble beginnings as dance battlers in Sarcelles, the two self-taught dancers have made a name for themselves. Les Twins caught the attention of Beyonce, and they have been performing with her ever since the 2011 Billboard Music Awards.
In Nov. 2022, Les Twins partnered with the Kids Write Network and hosted the first Rise for Mental Health tour in Quebec. “We don’t choose mental health. It is something that happened to us that we need to share with other people. We find out that it literally help them.” said Larry. The pair visited over 500 schools across Canada to teach kids about the relationship between art and mental health. They taught kids how to dance in their minds and be free. “One of my favorite parts was working with someone who didn’t want to cooperate with us. We told him, do this, do that, but he was not answering. Closing his eyes made him process how we move, and he literally lost it and started moving and he was breathing in a certain way. He cried, and he said im so sorry I didn’t mean to do this. But it’s just dance that changed him.” said Laurent.
This year, Les Twins are hosting another iteration of the tour in North America. “When you go to America and you see … one kid is not good, then the whole class is not good. If you are okay with what’s going on, that means you have a problem” said Larry. The first stop will be at Pace Academy from Oct. 16 to Oct. 18. They will be visiting classrooms, talking about mental health and most importantly, dancing. “Music is the question, your body is the answer. When you know how to answer the question of music, you will know how to walk in certain different situations in life. I use my gift as an answer to help other people move better and think better for themselves. I want them to find out how to become a better person.” said Laurant.
Founder and CEO of Kids Write Network Helen Georgaklis is the organizer of the Les Twins School tour. The Kids Write Network is a non-profit organization that holds a program focused on implementing the four art disciplines, mostly writing, but the other disciplines are illustration, music and movement/dance. The organization is the first mental health science-based program that uses all four disciplines. “The program is based on a neuroscientific Positive Psychology program process, it’s a six step process that kids go through to give them an understanding that there is no challenge greater than their ability to overcome.” says Georgaklis “we wanted to build a program that would give children a voice and the courage to use it.” Georgaklis originally connected with Les Twins through one of their dance workshops. She only observed, but she felt connected to them. “ I had no idea what I was watching and so here were these young men who are telling stories through their workshops and dance which is the exact same thing that The Kids Write Network does.” From there on, they partnered up to perform at schools across the country. The program was about more than dance, students go through the writing process, but the focus is about spreading awareness and helping students mental health. “They can have fun figuring out different ways that they can use their coping skills, whether it’s through dance, writing, art or music.” says Gerogaklis. She believes that the Les Twins workshop gives a sense of freedom which leads to empowerment.
Atlanta native Shanti Das also partnered with Les Twins and Kids Write Network for the podcast event. As the founder and owner of Silence the Shame, an organization dedicated to mental health awareness, she often works with companies around Atlanta and advocates for better resources and help, especially in underprivileged communities. A Syracuse grad majoring in television, radio, and film and later a successful music executive, Das was working in New York City when she noted problems with her own mental health in the toxic environment she was working in, as well as her personal ties to tragedy associated with poor mental health and suicide. “I started sharing openly- digital journaling, as I call it, on social media,” she said. “I was really surprised at how many of my peers and colleagues in music were DMing me, thanking me for starting the conversation. This was in 2015, when it was really buried and hushed in the music industry.”
Das began to group together friends and volunteers to make teen mental health tours around the country, eventually adding on to make a podcast and start her company. Having a very strong tie to music, she believes that incorporating it into the Silence the Shame therapy and coping methods adds on a whole other level. “Oftentimes we don’t have the words to articulate, and music can create that for us,” said Das. “It can make the things that we are ashamed to say come out beautifully, and it’s also just an opportunity to calm ourselves down and reduce our stress response. When I have really tough days I put on my favorite song because it immediately puts me in a different mood and relieves that stress.”
Through her organization, Das has gotten the chance to work with well known celebrities and companies that look to support her efforts. Not only was she featured in Times Square for Ryan Seacreast’s “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” but Silence the Shame was also recently awarded 25,000 dollars from SZA’s philanthropic fund. She looks to continue her global presence in the future, as well as continue to promote the growth of mental health awareness in her hometown. “I really understand the special and unique relationship between the arts and therapy, which is why I’m so intrigued with what Les Twins are doing, and I am excited it’s going to happen here and launch at Pace.”