Witness: dancing across boundaries
Special Benefit Screening
World premiere of the documentary film Witness: dancing across boundaries
Thursday, Nov 12th, 7pm; $20
Crandell Theater, Chatham, NY
MovingPotential will host a special benefit screening of Witness: dancing across boundaries at the Crandell Theater in Chatham, NY on Thursday, November 12th at 7pm. This new 13-minute documentary film traces Sondra’s path from prison volunteer to founder of MovingPotential, Eric’s journey from her classroom to the Witness stage, and the making of the performance itself. Cinematography by Devin Pickering and Angela Beallor.
Following the screening, a panel of justice experts, performers and the cinematographers will discuss the themes and creative process behind the film. The evening will also feature a live excerpt from the performance featured in Witness: dancing across boundaries, bringing the work from screen to stage.
The event will close with a celebratory reception featuring food and drink, giving guests the chance to mingle with artists, panelists, and fellow supporters of MovingPotential. Join us for this immersive evening that bridges film and live dance!
All proceeds from the event will benefit MovingPotential.
The Witness Origin Story
On a spring evening in Hudson, New York, the stage at The Flow Chart Foundation came alive with Witness—a poetic performance born from years of creative risk, deep listening, and radical collaboration.
Created by Sondra Loring, founder of MovingPotential, Witness began inside the walls of Greene Correctional Facility, where Sondra led yoga, writing, and dance improvisation workshops for incarcerated men. What started as quiet moments of breath and movement grew into a collective story—a shared language of resilience, imagination, and dignity.
In Witness, those stories move beyond the prison walls. Artists on the outside respond to the work of men inside through dance “scores,” gestures, and what Sondra calls telepathic dancing—a practice of connection that defies separation. The result is part ritual, part performance, and wholly human.
A scene from the March 30, 2025 premiere of Witness.
Supported by NYSCA, Arts in Corrections NYS, and Wave Farm, and with additional funding from the Office of the Governor, the New York State Legislature, and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Witness stands as a model for how art can restore meaning in places often defined by loss.
Loring, recipient of the 2024 NYS DanceForce grant and the 2025 NYSCA Support for Artists grant, calls the work a “moving prayer,” one that honors the invisible threads connecting all people, inside and out.
The ensemble includes Sunder Ashni, Eric Cherry, Erick Montes, Peggy Gould, Dwayne Resnick, Hana van der Kolk, and Suanny Upegi. Inside Greene, collaborators include Andre, Arkeyse, Bipart, Brandon, Brian, Bruce, Cash, Christopher, Dennis, Donte, Jason, Joseph, Joshua, Josiah, Kevin, Lemar, Maurice, Mazraany, Mitchell, Otto, Player, Randy, Ricky, Robert, Royan, Terri, Thomas, Tim, Timothy, and Vashant.
Original music by Aidan Samp. Eric has joined the company since his release—a living embodiment of art’s power to transform.
Original music by Aidan Samp. Eric has joined the company since his release—a living embodiment of art’s power to transform.
The Journey Continues
Following successful performances in 2025, Witness was performed (and presented by NY State Danceforce) at Union College in Schenectady, NY in July 2026.
A documentary film, with cinematography by Devin Pickering and Angela Beallor, will premiere at the Crandell Theater in Chatham November 12, 2026. The film offers a rare look into how creativity crosses boundaries of confinement and freedom.
Your support helps this story continue to unfold. Every gift — large or small — extends the reach of Witness, helping us share this work with new audiences and deepen the conversation around healing and justice.
