who face what we create. How do we express the real- ity of confinement that is unique and honest? How do we highlight the cycles created by institutions to keep people in the same conditions they have always been in? How do we creatively say, “I am one of the millions of men and women who deserve a second chance or access to their God-given right to freedom?” How do we show how beautiful life is while remembering the decrepit structures we and others have been housed in? By creating a duality in Maurice’s performance we show the various stages Maurice was in throughout his incar- ceration. Some movements are harder and faster; some moves are slower and more restrictive. His relationship to the space changes his movement. We decided to have an hourglass representing the prison structure, the overpacked conditions, time, and the peo- ple who are trapped and may never get out. We under- stand that prison possesses a power that can turn people’s worlds upside down at a moment’s notice. And those that live within those structures are forced to adjust and adapt while still fighting to pass through the door to freedom. We are privileged in the eyes of those still serving their sentences, while understanding that freedom is not just a concept or an idea. It is an act of agency that extends beyond cells, locked gates, yellow lines, and prison walls. It extends beyond ankle monitors and a fifty-mile radius that keeps people monitored. Freedom extends beyond our future and reaches into our past. Addressing all of our truths and challenging us in a way that makes you face a version of you that you didn’t even know existed.
Freedom offers you the opportunity to restructure your mind. That is a challenge that Maurice and I have been addressing in this project and in our own lives. When I was incarcerated, I wanted the freedom to cre- ate in prison, be it dance, music, paintings, or draw- ings. Then I wanted my freedom. Once I was paroled, I thought I was free. Until freedom showed up as a desire to be off parole. Once I got off parole and became a completely free man, I realized I wasn’t free from the nightmares of my experiences in prison or the anxiety I felt when I was around someone in law enforcement. Amie Dowling, Reyna Brown, Tiersa Nureyev, Maurice Reed, and I have been unpacking this idea of freedom that we have all bought into—making room for a new look at freedom. While doing this project, one thing has become clear: the carceral system can only confine those it encounters. It can never give someone freedom. We have to give that to ourselves every second of every day from this point on. ANTWAN “BANKS” WILLIAMS is the Co-Creator and Sound Designer of the award-winning podcast Ear Hustle . He is a dancer and choreog- rapher who studied movement, rhythm, and sound for four years while serving a 15-year sentence in San Quentin State Prison. He specializes in modern, contemporary, krump, and hip-hop dance styles while infusing story-telling in performing arts. He is also well versed in videography, video editing, music production, and audio engineering. In 2019 Antwan was released from prison after serving 13 years in the CA Department of Rehabilitation. He continues to work for the podcast, produce video content, volunteer inside and outside prisons, and tour schools as a pub- lic speaker, using his lived experience to educate and enhance people's understanding of the justice system and cultural conditioning.
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In Dance | May 2014 | dancersgroup.org
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