Chatting with the Incarcerated

This past Thursday, I went on a field trip to a medium security prison in Norfolk, the Massachusetts Correctional Institution- Norfolk. And boy, was it an experience. As dramatic as it sounds, I'd say it was pretty life-changing and eye opening. I went into it nervous and a little scared, but I came out of it pretty enlightened. We got to listen to inmates talk about their background, how they grew up, and how they committed the crime that landed them in prison, as well as what they learned from it. I'll take you through the day step by step.

First of all, there was a strict dress code to adhere to. Boys had to wear button down shirts that were tucked in and girls had to wear very conservative clothing. Loose jeans, and loose shirts that covered everything and could be tucked in. No jackets allowed, sweaters only allowed if they had no hoods. We went through security in groups of 5 or 6- one chaperone sat in the security room and the other waited outside with us. I don't know exactly how security went for the guys, but for the girls, here's what we had to do: Take off our shoes, that were then passed through a metal detector. There was a female officer for the girls and a male officer for the guys (obviously). We walked through the metal detector, and then we had to open our mouths so they could inspect it, turned out our front pockets, rolled over the waistband of our jeans (some girls had to unbutton their jeans to do this), stuck our hands in our back pockets to show that there was nothing in there, show the soles of our feet, and then we were allowed to put our shoes back on. We were then told to walk across the prison grounds alone to the visitors center- a rather scary prospect at the time, because had we made a wrong turn we would've ended up with the inmates.

Once at the visiting area, we spoke to four inmates who were part of a prison-run program called Project Youth, Incarcerated. The name of the program made sense, because many of the inmates had been arrested when they were only 15-18 years old and were serving 10-12 year sentences. We heard about where they came from, how they grew up, relationships with parents and siblings, as well as what led them to commit the crime that got them in prison and why they committed it. Mind you, this is a medium security prison. These are not child abusers, rapists, or murderers (in the sense of the murder being premeditated). These are people who fell in with the wrong crowd as a result of bullying or growing up in a rough neighborhood or being in the foster system, and either were drunk or high when they committed crimes. So these people were for armed robberies or on charge of manslaughter or something of the sort.

Their message was basically: at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how you grew up or who you're surrounded with. It's still your choice. You made the bad choices, and you can't blame anyone or anything else for that but yourself. And they're right, they're absolutely right. You could tell these were prisoners who had thought long and hard about their past and truly reformed. Of course, they go through rigorous training to be allowed to do this, and it showed. They were very well spoken, sounded educated, and kept a cool head. As a result, we learned alot about prison life and inmates. We learned that violence does happen, just on a lesser scale and less often. We learned that the speakers and other people in the program make up a small demographic of the prison population- in reality, people in prison don't want to see others succeed. Not a lot of prisoners are as reformed as our speakers were, but they didn't care. Most of them only had 2 or 3 years left of their sentence, and they were ready to get out, go home, and never come back. There are also opportunities for inmates to work on the grounds or get a job in the prison, as well as take classes and continue an education. Some prisons, like this one, have a GED program for people who dropped out of high school. Like I said, it was pretty eye opening.

Whew! This was a long post. I'll break it up- next post I'll write about the specific stories, more on the takeaway message, and what social change I think can and should come about in our society after this visit.

~Simran

Unconventional Ballerinas

My last post was about ballet, so I thought I would follow it up by writing about a couple dancers who I find inspiring. These dancers are reshaping the stereotypical ballerina mold and proving to us that there is not just one type of dancer, but rather that the dancer has multiple embodiments and comes from anywhere and can do anything.

Picture taken from Dance Magazine.

Keenan Kampa: Kampa is a dancer and a model, currently in Russia, and among her crowning achievements is her status as the first American to dance in the prestigious, all-Russian Mariinsky Ballet. She is a person of incredible resilience, overcoming the odds of age, cultural differences, and multiple injuries. She discovered at the young age of 17 by Gennady Selyutsky, a Russian Ballet Master. He noticed her at a Masters Class at the Kennedy Center in D.C., and invited her to study with the Vaganova. She became the first American to graduate with a full Russian diploma in 2010- a major achievement in the world of dance. She spent two years with the Boston Ballet, and in 2012, she became the first American to dance in the Mariinsky Ballet. For Kampa, pursuing her passion hasn't been easy- she's been plagued by injuries and the cultural divide between American and Russia. Adjusting to dancing with the Mariinsky Ballet or at the Vaganova, which can be seen in the stern, disciplinarian instructors she has worked with. She experienced a lot of ridicule with both Ballets, only further proving her commitment to her passion when she refused to drop out. She also models in her spare time and is an ambassador for Lejeune foundation, an organization that funds research for Down Syndrome and other genetic disorders. You can follow her on twitter (@Neenakampa) and instagram (@bkeenie).

Copeland's feature in Teen Vogue.

Misty Copeland: Copeland is making history as well as the first black soloist at the American Ballet Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina. An exerpt was featured in the March 2014 issue of Teen Vogue. Her story is truly inspiring, as she's overcome racism and body-shaming to achieve her dreams. She even inspired Project Plié, a program run by the ABT aimed at diversifying ballet. She didn't begin her ballet training until age 13, and just 5 years later, at the incredibly young age of 18, she was dancing with ABT. She worked her way up from the Corps de Ballet, and she came from a background of poverty. She has excelled  in an art that has "long been the province of the white and wealthy," to quote her memoir. I've seen this statement spark many arguments, but ultimately, she is right. The amount of hours serious dancers put into their work makes them run through pointe shoes like a sick person runs through tissues, but they still can cost more than $50. Copeland came from a family that hardly had enough money for food, let alone enough money for travel or hobbies. As a member of the Corps, she was constantly judged by her fellow dancers and her teachers. Not only was she atypical in terms of her race, but her body type was different. She was only 5'2'' and 100 lbs- completely normal- but in ballet, her curves and full chest would not do and so she was told she had to "lengthen." This was ballet speak for "lose some weight or you lose your spot." She refused to listen to this pressure, however, and decided to "out-dance" everyone so that ABT would be forced to recognize her talent. She didn't starve herself, but she did step up to the game in a way that only the most mentally healthy can. She is truly inspiring, not just as a dancer but as a person as well. In a career where girls have to fit a certain mold, Misty refused to reshape herself and instead forced the mold to accept her.
Theatre in 20 years. She has memoir, titled

I hope these stories have encouraged you to never give up on your dreams or passions, whatever they may be. If Misty can start training at age 13 and end up dancing with such a prestigious company only 5 years later, and Keenan can overcome cultural divides to dance in world-renowned dance companies, you can give your passion a shot.

~Simran

A Magical Night at the Ballet

Last night I went to see Boston Ballet's production of Cinderella with two of my good friends. As can be expected, it was a magical, wonderful experience. The dancing, costumes, set and effects were beautiful. It reminded me of why I fell in love with Ballet and kept up with it, and why so many people every year flock to see performances such as this even though tickets are in no way cheap.

The version of Cinderella put on by the Boston Ballet this year differed slightly from the usual classic. Of course, it's a ballet, so it can only be so long (it only had 2 acts, and Act 1 had 2 scenes). There was no stepmother, but her stepsisters were very active in the ballet. Portrayed by Boyko Dossev and Yury Yanowsky, they were comical and hilarious. They clomp all over the place, while they are being fitted for the ball and at the ball itself. Watching them fight with each other- their silly dance routine complete with exaggerated pantomiming and acting- easily made them one half of the comic relief. The other half was the Court Jester, played by Avetik Karapetyan. His dances were extremely intricate combinations of leaps and twirls. The life of the ball, he handled a mishap in the Ballet perfectly when one of the shoes went flying into the pit! He was the life of the ball and the ballet. The Ballerina who danced the role of Cinderella, Misa Kuranga, was simply beautiful. She looked ethereal in her costume at the ball and her wedding to the Prince, and her solos were light, airy, graceful, and everything an aspiring ballerina would dream of dancing. Entirely en pointe, they were of course extremely difficult. The Fairy Godmother was portrayed by Petra Conti, and she as well as the Fairies of the Four Seasons and the Stars were just as beautiful. The entire ballet was magical, and I never wanted it to end.

You don't know how multifaceted ballet is until you see it performed. It requires incredible precision and puts a ridiculous amount of stress on the body. Balancing on pointe, doing sharp turns and high leaps requires hours of practice; and dancers like those of the Boston Ballet make it look so easy. At the same time, a dancer needs to remember the character he or she is portraying and never fall out of it. The dance itself tells only half the story- the other half is told depending on how the dancer moves through the steps. Pantomime and acting in general is a huge part of dance. Performing it is exhilarating and rewarding, but being a dancer- especially at the professional level- is incredibly physically and mentally taxing. It takes passion for the art and hard work, so before you say that ballet is easy and before you withold any dancer the accolades they deserve, watch them rehearse or perform. There is no form of storytelling more beautiful than dance.

~Simran

Early Spring Song Reviews!

Hello, readers! I've been meaning to do this for a while, and since my last couple of posts have been rather long tangents, I thought this would give all of you a nice break from my ramblings. I'll be talking about 3 songs that deserve a place on your playlist for a variety of reasons. They may not all be "new," but they're worth a listen.

1). Hey Brother by Avicii.
I really don't think there are many songs that are more heartfelt than this. He addresses a brother and a sister, but the lyrics could be applied to anyone. In the main chorus, he declares that "if the sky comes falling down, for you, there's nothing in this world I wouldn't do." It's a classic song about always being there for your loved ones. And while the lyrics are incredibly sweet, it's not your typical sappy song. The music is upbeat enough to listen to on a jog or at the gym, or even on a long drive. The video is touching and heartbreaking and amazing, but it's up to interpretation. What do you guys think?

2). Counting Stars by OneRepublic.
OneRepublic has always been a favorite band of mine, and this song is definitely one of my favorites. The tune and the lyrics practically hypnotizing, and you can't help but sing along when you hear it. This is another one that's perfect for a nighttime drive down the highway. The music to this is pretty epic and upbeat as well. It takes a few listens to get the meaning of the lyrics, for those of you who pay attention to that (I know I do). I'll leave the interpretation of the song up to you guys, because it's definitely a mish-mash of things somehow connected. There's a mention of "no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars" and they also go on to talk about all these conflicts of theirs- right or wrong, old or young, and the fact that "everything that kills me, makes me feel alive." It's a heavy but amazing song. What do you guys think?

3). Glory and Gore by Lorde.
Yes, I know, we've heard a lot of her on the radio between Royals and now Team. But this is a song off of her album that hasn't made it as big as Team, but to me it's just as platinum-status worthy. Let's just take a minute to appreciate the ingeniousness that is Lorde and her songwriting, shall we? Listening to her is always such a refreshing experience, and this song is no different. Her lyrics are as always incredibly profound, with lines like "but in all chaos there is calculation," "we gladiate but I guess we're really fighting ourselves," "secretly you love this, do you even really wanna go free?" and basically the entire song. Like the previous song, what she's really singing about is open to interpretation. It could be war, it could be literally about gladiators, or even about violence and fights in general. For those of you who listen to songs to pay attention to lyrics, this is a great one for you. For those of you that prefer to just listen to the beat, this is still great. It's different from the other two songs in this blog post. The music is darker, but the beat is pretty amazing, so you won't be disappointed.

So, I hope I've given you some more refreshing additions to your various playlists. These songs are all really different from the usual, "mainstream" tunes typically played on the radio stations. Even if you don't fall in love with them, they're worth a listen.

~Simran :)