AnCan and The Marsh (well renown, long-established theater company with a large following in the Bay Area and venues in San Francisco and Oakland) collaborateevery 4th Wednesday of the month for Solo Arts Heal.
We were so happy to welcome AnCan’s own, Dan Dressen!
Dan is a moderator for our Active Surveillance Prostate Cancer support group, and also a talented musician from Southern Idaho, with a passion for Americana music. With roots in Minnesota and a stint in both Southern and Northern California, Dan has honed his skills on the guitar since the age 14.
In 1975, while at the University of Minnesota, he filled in as student coordinator at the Whole Coffeehouse. The Whole, as it was know, brought in music that attracted audiences locally, regionally and nationally and he still follows the music and musicians from that time period.
Now today and for over a decade, he has been entertaining at open mic nights, sharing his unique blend of country-inspired tunes with audiences in various venues on West Coast. Married to his wife Lila for 35 years, Dan is joined by their two feline friends Willow and Webster. Drawing inspiration from songwriters such as Guy Clark, Tom Russell, John Prine, and Robin & Linda Williams, Dan brings his own distinct voice to the Americana genre.
You’ll hear warm songs, fantastic stories, and great conversation. Dan has learned the importance of being “active” when taking charge of one’s health journey, and will also share the importance of being your own best advocate. (an AnCan favorite!)
Editor’s Note: We know you’ve missed receiving email notifications about our blog posts. Now that we are up and running on the new system via mailchimp (the same system you receive our group reminders on), here are the posts may have missed. They are categorized for your connivence. Enjoy!
Hi-Risk/Recurrent/Advanced PCa Video Chat Recordings
AnCan and The Marsh (well renown, long-established theater company with a large following in the Bay Area and venues in San Francisco and Oakland) collaborateevery 4th Wednesday of the month for Solo Arts Heal.
Friends, it was my absolute privilege to choose, produce, and host May’s guest – Karen Broder. A wordsmith, singer, musician, performance artist, raconteur, provocateur. “I’ve been called all kind of names and most of them are true. But that doesn’t tell the whole story.”Karen’s inimitable humor creatively crafts an arsenal of anecdotes to battle the forces of frustration — both real or Imagined.
You will absolutely love this show, the only disappointing part is it doesn’t go on longer! Karen will regale and reveal some of the stories she spins to throw shade at serious, if not, trivial irritations. Enjoy a dose of home grown ‘Humor Infusion’ to whet your psyche with laughter, art, and song.
Karen is one of our very first art friends, and a beloved member of our community. It has been a pleasure getting to know Karen, and you’ll get to know her even better after this show.
AnCan and The Marsh (well renown, long-established theater company with a large following in the Bay Area and venues in San Francisco and Oakland) collaborateevery 4th Wednesday of the month for Solo Arts Heal.
You’ll love our March guest, Beth Horner!Noted for her vivacious stage presence, comic sensibility and warm, energetic style, Storyteller Beth possesses a repertoire of stories that has been called “heartfelt, articulate and truthful.”
A National Storytelling Network Circle of Excellence Oracle Award recipient, Beth is a 40-year internationally touring spoken word artist who is sought after as a Storyteller, teaching artist, consultant and narrative coach.
She has performed multiple times at the National Storytelling Festival, for NASA, on Live From National Geographic, for the International Art of Storytelling Festival, the Starlight Educational Foundation of Taiwan, and for Lyrics & Lore: A Weekend with Songwriters & Storytellers at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort.
She is a former Board Member of the National Storytelling Association, conducted a series of workshops for NASA Engineers and Astrobiologists in California and Washington, D.C., and served as narrative consultant for NASA/Johnson Space Center’s Story Mining project for which she collected the stories of the scientists behind the Apollo Space Missions.
Ron (Beth Horner’s partner) driving Corvette
Most recently, Beth presented Storytelling: A Heart to Heart Connection for the American Parkinson Disease Association’s 2024 Annual Conference. Beth’s love of all kinds of stories – traditional, literary, family, musical, historical and hysterical – makes her a joyous emissary into the world of story.
Beth will regale us with the slightly terrifying hundred mile an hour racetrack experience that sparked her revelation as a care partner (pictured): that amidst the cacophony of financial worries, doctor’s appointments, overwhelming research, deluge of therapies, legal hurdles and all other care partner jobs, it is the care of the spirit that must soar above all else.
AnCan and The Marsh (well renown, long-established theater company with a large following in the Bay Area and venues in San Francisco and Oakland) collaborateevery 4th Wednesday of the month for Solo Arts Heal.
For February we had a real treat of a guest – decades in the making! Yes, decades. It was our pleasure to have one of Rick’s oldest, and best friends (and AnCan Advisory Board Member) Mr. Mark W. Kissin, FRCS (Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons) join us. This has been a wish for years, and we are so grateful that Mr. Kissin was up so early (around 2:30 am UK time) to make it happen for us.
Mr. Kissin is a recently retired breast cancer and melanoma surgeon in the United Kingdom. He is recognized as a pioneer in sentinel lymph node biopsies, which help determine the spread of breast cancer. He has presented an amusing history of the breast at many medical conferences.
The National Health Service of the United Kingdom has presented him with an NHS Distinction Award for his work, dedication, and innovation; and he has received a British Citizen Award Medal of Honour. BBC television once broadcast him performing a full mastectomy and reconstructive breast surgery live to demystify the procedure and to help minimize women’s trauma about it.
In retirement. Mr. Kissin finds plenty of time to work on his golf handicap, grow vegetables, and enjoy his grandkids.
(For our US audience: UK and Commonwealth surgeons drop the title of doctor and revert to Mr. on surgical qualification. Your barber, or hairdresser, may be able to explain why!)
Mr. Kissin’s show was filled own songs, and he gave a short excerpt from his lecture, “The Illustrated Art History of the Breast,” which has been delivered at many high-profile medical conferences around the world.
This isn’t an interview, but a front row seat to a warm conversation between two life-long friends. You don’t want to miss this show.
Watch here:
Bonus! Here are the two pictures of Rick and Mr. Kissin featured in the show!
AnCan and The Marsh (well renown, long-established theater company with a large following in the Bay Area and venues in San Francisco and Oakland) collaborateevery 4th Wednesday of the month for Solo Arts Heal!
We’re back in action this 2024 with a fabulous guest, Ursa Miles!
Ursa is a performer and author from the Ozarks currently based out of Chicago. Her work has appeared on stage at the International Storytelling Center (through Jonesborough Storytellers Guild), The Mountain Makins Festival, Big Muddy New Play Festival, and This Much is True. Her book Passive Aggressive Fables for Adults is available wherever books are sold. Ursa is also a survivor of proxy supraventricular tachycardia who lives with neurocardiogenic syncope, hypoglycemia, and hypermobility disorder. She loves cheesecake.
Ursa tells stories about maintaining relationships with her passions for the outdoors and the arts while navigating her life as a heart and neurological patient.
Wild animals such as deer, bears, and raccoons make appearances. Oh my! You’ll be captivated the entire show.
