Undanced dances with Suchi Branfman and Terry Sakamoto

Match Volume’s Steven Vargas discusses Suchi Branfman’s Dancing Through Prison Walls Project with participant Terry Sakamoto.

Vargas, Branfman and Sakamoto posed in a selfie — Photo courtesy of Steven Vargas

By Elle Davidson, Steven Vargas, Jeremy Lindenfeld, and Nataly Joseph

November 12, 2021 at 1:43PM PST

This week on Match Volume, Contributor Steven Vargas sits down with Suchi Branfman and Terry Sakamoto of the Dancing Through Prison Walls Project. Branfman started the project in 2016 as a five-year choreographic residency inside a medium-security prison in Norco, California. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, the project -- and the expression it allowed the people in prison -- was put at risk. However, Branfman was able to let it continue by having participants write dances from their bunks. The dances will premiere Saturday, November 13 at 3pm at Scripps College.

Theme music by Polina Cherezova.