San Francisco Jail, San Bruno, CA
February 13, 2013
San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirakarami invited organizers of Dancing Without Borders to hold a rehearsal for the male inmates of County Jail #5 on February 13, 2013 to teach the choreographed dance for the song "Break the Chain". The dance was performed on February 14th by inmates in the
men’s jail, the women’s jail, and by over 1,000 dancers at City Hall in a flash mob dance later that day, joining dancers in over 200 countries around the
world. The dance in the jail was part of the One Billion Rising global dance event, aimed at raising awareness for the issue of domestic violence.
The Dancing Without Borders team included Magalie Bonneau-Marcil, Rachel Erwin, Karen Saura, Heather Munro Pierce, and Josie Leher. Rachel and Karen are certified Acutonics practitioners, trained by Katie Mink L.Ac. and Laurie Herron, senior faculty with West Coast Acutonics.
They met with 30 male inmates in County Jail #5. Before the dance rehearsal, Rachel and Karen co-facilitated a group process to create safety and resourcing utilizing EMDR, mindful rhythms, sound and visualization. A sound healing protocol for the event was created using tuning forks and Tibetan bells.
The general outline is as follows: The space was prepared using the Ohm Unison to ground, balance and anchor the room and to
create a safe container. Next, the Zodiac 3rd was layered in for its expanding and dispersing qualities, followed by Middle Chiron and Ohm to lay a foundation for lifting deeply buried wounds and expanding present awareness, completing with Middle and High Chiron to bring in the qualities of opening and releasing old wounds, healing and integrating traumas, to create a bridge for reconciliation, transformation, and to support the group work and rehearsal.
Tibetan bowls and tuning forks were used during the group process. The group was gathered and seated in a large circle. Thirty-seven people participated in the group process (thirty male inmates, two jail support staff, our team of five) with guards, jail liaison personnel, and other support staff observing. Sheriff Mirakarami arrived a short time later.
Rachel and Karen sat opposite one another in the circle and began the group process with the ringing of the Tibetan bowl. Everyone stood as Karen led the invocation while Rachel used Middle Zodiac and Middle Solar with the group blending the Zodiac qualities of calming, dispersing and expanding, with the Solar yang qualities of empowerment, strengthening, and illumination.
After the Invocation, the group was led through a balancing protocol using Ohm Unison. Rachel and Karen stepped into the circle, held the Ohm Unisons to their own ears, then turned back to face the person to their right, and proceeded to offer and apply Ohm Unison to the ears of each participant. One by one, the entire group individually experienced Ohm Unison. This protocol balances the two hemispheres of the brain, and brings grounding and connection to the Earth. The group Ohm Unison process unified the circle attuning all to the Ohm vibration.
EMDR was brought in using mindful rhythms. The lyrics to the song “Break the Chain” were read and used in an EMDR resourcing process. The circle was closed with the ringing of the Tibetan bowl. The container had been created for a healing, transformational dance rehearsal.
The inmates who participated were part of an anti-violence program and had agreed to participate in the dance in to raise awareness of the need to end violence and oppression of women and children. The song is titled “Break the Chain” referring to the cyclic nature of violence and abuse. San Francisco is thought to have the only jail system in the world taking part in this global dance to end oppression and violence.
During the rehearsal at the County Jail in San Bruno, Capt. Kevin Paulson joined the inmates he supervises and danced in solidarity of the vision of breaking the chain of violence as Sheriff Mirakarami watched and clapped in rhythm to the music from the side. Male inmates in orange jumpsuits danced alongside the woman with Dancing Without Borders, Capt. Paulson, and male and female jail support staff. The energy in the room was electric, full of hope and excitement, transformational and healing for all present.
men’s jail, the women’s jail, and by over 1,000 dancers at City Hall in a flash mob dance later that day, joining dancers in over 200 countries around the
world. The dance in the jail was part of the One Billion Rising global dance event, aimed at raising awareness for the issue of domestic violence.
The Dancing Without Borders team included Magalie Bonneau-Marcil, Rachel Erwin, Karen Saura, Heather Munro Pierce, and Josie Leher. Rachel and Karen are certified Acutonics practitioners, trained by Katie Mink L.Ac. and Laurie Herron, senior faculty with West Coast Acutonics.
They met with 30 male inmates in County Jail #5. Before the dance rehearsal, Rachel and Karen co-facilitated a group process to create safety and resourcing utilizing EMDR, mindful rhythms, sound and visualization. A sound healing protocol for the event was created using tuning forks and Tibetan bells.
The general outline is as follows: The space was prepared using the Ohm Unison to ground, balance and anchor the room and to
create a safe container. Next, the Zodiac 3rd was layered in for its expanding and dispersing qualities, followed by Middle Chiron and Ohm to lay a foundation for lifting deeply buried wounds and expanding present awareness, completing with Middle and High Chiron to bring in the qualities of opening and releasing old wounds, healing and integrating traumas, to create a bridge for reconciliation, transformation, and to support the group work and rehearsal.
Tibetan bowls and tuning forks were used during the group process. The group was gathered and seated in a large circle. Thirty-seven people participated in the group process (thirty male inmates, two jail support staff, our team of five) with guards, jail liaison personnel, and other support staff observing. Sheriff Mirakarami arrived a short time later.
Rachel and Karen sat opposite one another in the circle and began the group process with the ringing of the Tibetan bowl. Everyone stood as Karen led the invocation while Rachel used Middle Zodiac and Middle Solar with the group blending the Zodiac qualities of calming, dispersing and expanding, with the Solar yang qualities of empowerment, strengthening, and illumination.
After the Invocation, the group was led through a balancing protocol using Ohm Unison. Rachel and Karen stepped into the circle, held the Ohm Unisons to their own ears, then turned back to face the person to their right, and proceeded to offer and apply Ohm Unison to the ears of each participant. One by one, the entire group individually experienced Ohm Unison. This protocol balances the two hemispheres of the brain, and brings grounding and connection to the Earth. The group Ohm Unison process unified the circle attuning all to the Ohm vibration.
EMDR was brought in using mindful rhythms. The lyrics to the song “Break the Chain” were read and used in an EMDR resourcing process. The circle was closed with the ringing of the Tibetan bowl. The container had been created for a healing, transformational dance rehearsal.
The inmates who participated were part of an anti-violence program and had agreed to participate in the dance in to raise awareness of the need to end violence and oppression of women and children. The song is titled “Break the Chain” referring to the cyclic nature of violence and abuse. San Francisco is thought to have the only jail system in the world taking part in this global dance to end oppression and violence.
During the rehearsal at the County Jail in San Bruno, Capt. Kevin Paulson joined the inmates he supervises and danced in solidarity of the vision of breaking the chain of violence as Sheriff Mirakarami watched and clapped in rhythm to the music from the side. Male inmates in orange jumpsuits danced alongside the woman with Dancing Without Borders, Capt. Paulson, and male and female jail support staff. The energy in the room was electric, full of hope and excitement, transformational and healing for all present.