In today’s conversation, I’m talking with the co-leaders of an organization that I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for a number of years:  Ragz Bruland and Michael Aryee of Flex Dance Program.

Ragz and Michael founded Flex Dance as a response to the problem of mass incarceration. They wanted to tap into the expansiveness and movement of dance as a way to help young people especially see beyond a system that can sometimes feel stuck.

Their organization – through programs and community partnerships – provides young people not just with safe and engaging ways to spend their time – they are also creating a powerful and inclusive community that embraces young people and gives them a cultural home rooted in self-expression and joy.

In this conversation, we talk about their own personal relationship to dance – and to flex dance in particular – and about how that deep personal connection helped them see dance as a vehicle for wider impact and broader social change.

It’s a beautiful and powerful origin story, and a beautiful and powerful vision for change.