Taking a Chance

Saturday, February 7, the Windsor Arts Center invited JDPP to perform among the artwork of the Community Partners in Action Prison Art Program that was on exhibit. Surrounded by art created by men and women in prison, our cast of seven presented ‘Unmuting’, a piece that raises the voices of those in our programs in carceral institutions and through dance, song and spoken word, brings them to the public.

On that same Saturday, February 7, a light snow the night before left extreme cold warnings and snowy roads in its wake. The natural inclination would be to stay home and keep warm.

But a small group of brave souls chose to venture into the cold to join the JDPP performers, many of whom had been previously incarcerated and some who teach in our prison programs. And the show did go on.

It was an especially powerful sharing: joyful in its authenticity, resilience, and strength, its ownership of responsibility and its suggestion of renewal and of second chances. A moment of synchronicity, of connecting, occurred that became the underpinning of awakened understanding and empathy. The talk back afterward lasted as long as the performance.

In the world we presently live in, empathy and compassion are precious commodities. A moment such as Saturday’s in which everyone took a chance to go beyond the comfortable and allow the arts to transport a moment and make connection became that much more impactful. The frigid temps felt ever so slightly warmer with the shared understandings that took place as well as the inspiration to expand perception and activate change.

There is so much to change in our country right now, not only as we think about incarceration but as we look at the roots of our democracy and how we must grab hold of them and make sure they are not lost forever.

May the spirit of connection demonstrated in the Windsor Arts Center gallery continue to remind us every day that we can ground, we can step out of our comfort zones–we can make a difference and move the needle for change forward in small and big steps.

This is what JDPP is about and this is how we will continue. We welcome you to join us.

Special thanks for Kristin Triff and the staff at the Windsor Art Center for a beautiful opportunity in a beautiful arts space.

Our next performance is at Wesleyan’s Olin Memorial Library featuring ‘Book Dances’ and ‘Doors Not Walls,’ recently performed at Hartford Stage and now returning to its home territory—a library. This free performance will take place on Saturday, February 28 at 2:00 p.m. (snow date: 3/1). For more information and to register please click here.