Hundreds of female inmates at Arkansas' prisons, along with thousands in nine states and 13 facilities, have found a form of liberation and inner peace through an innovative program called Dance To Be Free, which offers unrestrained hope in a confined world characterized by darkness and despair.
The dance programs are led by trained inmate instructors. Based in Boulder, Colo., and founded by Lucy Wallace, Dance To Be Free has done wonders to lift spirits and rekindle memories of happier times.
Katherine Riley Shoulders of Little Rock has become increasingly involved since initially pitching the 501(c)(3) program to Arkansas Secretary of Corrections Wendy Kelley back in January 2017. Her primary focus has been on Arkansas female inmates.
Shoulders, formerly of Fayetteville, divides her time today between Little Rock and Colorado. She said she became involved in teacher training workshops at the Wrightsville/Hawkins, McPherson units and Community Correction Center in West Memphis in 2017.
Since then, Shoulders said she and the team have trained incarcerated women to teach the not-for-profit Dance To Be Free program, and those inmates taught over 500 classes last year. They work hard and are serious about making the voluntary program meaningful throughout the general populations.
The "0ffender-led" programming allows the teachers to gain confidence as leaders as they learn to work together as a team.
Dutch psychiatrist and author Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., of Boston explained the enormous benefits of dance for those behind bars, said Shoulders. He said dancing is viewed as a reparative experience that pushes back against the terror and helplessness of trauma. It also enables survivors to reclaim ownership of their bodies and lives.
I suspect serious trauma is nothing new for most women behind bars.
Shoulders, who with husband Bob formerly owned the Fayetteville Athletic Club, said she attends weekly classes at McPherson and Wrightsville/Hawkins, and said the staff at those units have been supportive after witnessing the program's positive effects.
The past three years have seen Shoulders volunteering within the Arkansas women's prisons. "The experience has connected me to a marginalized group of people while it allowed me to do the most significant work of my life," she said. "They love to dance."
Another worthwhile effort she mentioned is the prison system's Think Legacy re-entry program, which provides inmates scheduled for release within six to 18 months with a curriculum to prepare them for success as returning citizens.
"I've been teaching classes on health, fitness, nutrition and overall well-being at Hawkins for the past two years. I have learned so much from the women I teach," said Shoulders. "They struggle with addiction and many other issues."
A common fear is that the improvements they've made through the program might be hard to maintain when they are free, said Shoulders.
Recently, Shoulders became aware of What About Us Behind the Walls, begun by previously incarcerated Undrea Gem Jones of Hardy. I met Jones last year as she attended the hearings in Berryville that ultimately set her friend Belynda Goff free for time served after 23 years in McPherson for supposedly murdering her husband.
Shoulders said Undrea's mission is simple, inspired by a promise once made to her incarcerated sisters. "By sharing pictures and letters written by women at McPherson, Undrea is allowing them to be seen by the free world as more than an ADC inmate. She is a strong advocate for women with long or life sentences to be given an opportunity to participate in programs and be productive human beings while they serve their time," Shoulders told me.
One Dance To Be Free teacher, Ronita Faith Bell, serving life without parole, told Shoulders some women have been warehoused up to 40 years without opportunities to participate in any rehabilitative programs.
Most programs have eligibility requirements that stipulate their release to be within five years. But those in the general population can volunteer to participate in Dance To Be Free.
Undrea was one of the women in the first Dance To Be Free training session at McPherson, and participated until her release in February. She told Shoulders: "I was one of those women on the inside for 21 years of my life. Dance To Be Free came to our facility when we needed it most. Lucy Wallace and Katherine ... brought freedom to our bound souls. They were the lifeline we so desperately grasped for as we suffocated. That program is the real deal. Thank you ladies for your helping hands that pulled me out."
Shoulders said the "warehousing issue" in women's prisons weighs heavy on her heart. "When we did our first McPherson teacher training, we were surprised by the number of interested participants with long or life sentences," she said. "Now I understand why. Finally a program came along with no sentencing requirements, and these long-term inmates jumped at the opportunity to be involved."
Now go out into the world and treat everyone you meet exactly like you want them to treat you.
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Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist, was editor of three Arkansas dailies and headed the master's journalism program at Ohio State University. Email him at mmasterson@arkansasonline.com.
Editorial on 12/29/2019