We’re looking forward to introducing you to Lucy Wallace. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Lucy, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
We had our annual fall fundraiser last weekend where previously incarcerated graduates of our program spoke, it was powerful, compelling, deeply beautiful, and heart breaking.
I felt gratitude from each of the speakers and a real sense of being seen for the years of very challenging work.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Lucy Wallace and I grew up on Long Island and started dancing at the age of five. I later became a dance teacher and bought a studio in Boulder, Colorado. I also completed a masters in psychology which shaped the style in which I teach my dance classes. After a few years of running the studio in a casual conversation with a student, the idea of dancing with women in prison came out of the blue and there was just an incredible yes!!
Without a clue of what I was doing or where to start or who to reach out to, I created a 501(c)(3) and a very small board along with a website and that was 10 years ago.
We started dancing at Denver women’s correctional facility in 2015 and eventually started teaching our students how to teach one another, which let us go on the road.
We have offered our programming in 25 facilities in 15 states. In 2023 we expanded to working with men in Mississippi and have since expanded to Colorado and Nebraska to work with the male population.
The results are beautiful because music and movement are profoundly healing for our mental health, especially PTSD and complex trauma.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I remember feeling like people found me very funny especially my friend’s parents and my friend group on Long Island. I’ve been told to be a stand-up comedian multiple times and I think it really serves me in prison to lighten the pain in the room.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
A few years ago, I had women.in my life trying to tear me down along with my nonprofit – that was one of the most painful experiences I’ve ever had and led me to want to give up – thank God we persevered!
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
I have watched Beyoncé and Taylor Swift handle so much success and power with grace and intelligence considering how sick the music industry can be. I’ve admired how Beyoncé is a mother bringing her daughters on tour with her really touched me.
Taylor handled her music being literally stolen from her with again – such grace!
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
Although the culture is shifting to trauma informed care within the prison industrial complex, I don’t think the public understands just how much trauma contributes to criminal behavior..
I often hear people say well, “They made bad decisions” and if they only knew how trauma affects brain development, impulse control and decision-making, they would maybe not judge a population that has survived unimaginable pain.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dancetobefree.org
- Instagram: dancetobefree.us
- Facebook: dancetobefree.us
Image Credits
Prison Staff La vista correctional facility, Nebraska correctional center for women, and women’s community correctional center in Hawaii
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