New aging: allowing life's cycle to make a complete circle

Abstract

I propose to create a project through the guidance of Joseph Campbell's work in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949) that will allow an older person to experience her* own story or myth. Movement exercises, relaxation techniques, and visual forms of expression will be used. The project will culminate in the acting out of the different parts of the hero's journey before a video camera. The elderly person, as a participant., will have an opportunity to recognize her impact on the community, personal contributions made during her life, and the purpose and meaning in her latter years.