In prisons ruled by toxic masculinity, dancing is an absolute taboo. But at Lancaster’s A-Yard, near Los Angeles, a group of young men, willing to take a chance to be mocked in the yard, start a dance class led by French choreographer Dimitri Chamblas. This class quickly becomes an intoxicating escape from their grim reality so they decide to create a dance show. In this exceptional context, the inmates engage with overwhelming sincerity, evoking their childhood, ganglife, the crimes, the prison, and their desire for transformation. Beyond damaged lives and a prison system on the edge of the abyss, DANCING IN A-YARD explores redemption and the capacity of human beings to reinvent themselves, when given a chance. And more importantly, how art and introspection can help see the light.
Featuring (in order of appearance)
Dimitri Chamblas
Dr. Bidhan Roy
Dimitri Gales
Kenneth Webb
Antonio Toy
Jonathan Hammond
Baleegh Brown
Terry Bell
Tyson Atlas
Albert ‘AJ’ Beckley
Arshawn Green
Randolph Haliburton
Film team
Manuela Dalle - Director
Manuela is a director and a sociologist. She began her career making films for the legendary Belgium TV show ‘Strip Tease’. She has made numerous feature length documentaries about contemporary artists for the esteemed french/german TV Arte. She also worked for french TV France 2 and France 5, with subjects as diverse as the Paris Opera or the sexuality of blind people. Her approach is always very human and embodied by strong characters. She is currently working on multiple projects in the art world. Her last film was a collaborative work with the iconic singer and artist Kim Gordon. She is close to Dimitri Chamblas which allowed her access into A-YARD to follow his dancing class, gain the inmates’ confidence and interview them.
Jean Martin - Producer
With over 10 years experience working on acclaimed films like ‘Nine’, directed by Rob Marshall, ‘Body of Lies’ directed by Ridley Scott, The Cat, the Reverend and the Slave to mention a few, he has produced countless commercials for L’Oreal, Dom Perignon, Kenzo, OPI among others. He also produces original shorts series for The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard.
Carine Magescas - Executive Producer
Carine is a French-born Entrepreneur and Venture Capitalist. In 2017 she was nominated "Angel Investor of the Year" at TechCrunch's 10th Annual Crunchies Awards. To date, Carine invested in over 150 Startups through AngelPad, a seed-VC and Accelerator she co-founded in 2010. AngelPad is consistently ranked Top U.S.Accelerator by MIT/Rice University Annual Accelerator Rankings Project. Prior to AngelPad, Carine held executive roles in Engineering, Strategic Alliances and Marketing at pre-IPO startups, before founding an E-commerce Startup in 2003. Carine is also an accomplished Fine Art Photographer. Her work is represented by Art Galleries in the US and Europe and has been exhibited in New York, London & San Francisco.
Vincent Venturella - DP
Vincent is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated Cinematographer whose work includes feature documentaries, commercials, music video, and more. In the last few years alone he has directed Robert De Niro and Tom Hanks for Sundance’s “Close Up with the Hollywood Reporter,” traveled with David Blaine to document the creation of his “Ascension'' feat.
Weston Cadwell - Editor
Weston attributes his passion for film from the legendary Frank Oz and his sons, who are family friends. After working at several post houses on the west side of Los Angeles, he solidified his work as a lead editor after cutting films such as "Showbiz Kids" for HBO and "The Panama Papers" on EPIX. He continues to work on documentary films, television, commercials and music videos.
Pierre Avia - Composer
From Barbarian Invasions (2004) by Denys Arcand to the film performance UFE (2016) by César Vayssié, in the documentaries Relève (2017), Allons Enfants (2023), Move (2020) by Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai, or in Carnivores (2018 ), by Jeremie and Yannick Renier, Pierre Avia varies experiences and styles. He collaborates on projects in the world of contemporary art and dance with JR (B.O. of Chroniques de Clichy Montfermeil and Wrinkles in the City: Istanbul,) or Xavier Veilhan (B.0. of the film Vent Moderne) including he is one of the guests in residence at Studio Venezia during the 2017 Venice Biennale. He is currently finalizing the music for (La)Horde's next choreographic show, Age Of Content (bnm, creation September 2023), and for the play Le musée des contradictions, adapted from the book by Antoine Wauters (collective ildi! eldi, Marseilles).
This film would not have been possible without the help and guidance of Studio Dimitri Chamblas and Dr. Bidhan Roy's non profit organization WordsUncaged
Words Uncaged facilitates art, narrative therapy and new media workshops throughout the state correctional system in California. We work collaboratively with artists that are in captivity to shift the narratives that surround mass incarceration.
We believe that story is the catalyst for all change in the world. We believe that when we share our stories with each other all walls come down, and our common humanity is all that remains.
Since 2015, Words Uncaged has had meaningful and sustained positive impact on the culture of each prison yard where programming has been offered. Through the simple application of hope, community and a platform to tell - and amplify - authentic stories, we have witnessed violence drop significantly. Our members graduate college, have received commutations and live lives filled with dignity and new found hope. To date, not a single Words Uncaged community member has returned to prison since their release.
