Dancing Through Prison Walls is a community of dancers, performers, storytellers, community builders, artists, activists, and educators. Some of us are currently and formerly incarcerated, and some of us are not. Our work is seriously joyous, and growth filled. Our work demands of us a great depth of care and visioning.

Dancing Through Prison Walls is a project that seeks to challenge the dehumanization and social control that are at the heart of incarceration.  In doing this work, we are committed to not reproducing the harmful practices and forms of relating that prisons are based on and direct towards criminalized people.  

We share this document with you as we move forward in collaboration.  We hope this will serve as a framing, an invitation for people we work with to expand as individuals and as a community, to confront biases, and to grow together in creating the just and welcoming world we are dancing toward. With this in mind, we invite you to read through this document and reflect as you continue to engage with our Dancing Through Prison Walls community and work.