Dance in prison

Presentation of a research project as part of the "Jeudis de la Maison Suger", a residents' research seminar.

Sylvie Frigon holds a PhD in Criminology from the University of Cambridge and is a full professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa, where she also serves as Vice-Dean of Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Social Sciences. From 2014 to 2016, she held the Joint Chair in Women's Studies at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University. She is currently a Senior Research Associate at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge. As an author, Sylvie Frigon has published three novels: Écorchées, Ariane et son secret, and C'est où chez nous ?. Her reflections on the body are explored in Chairs incarcérées: une exploration de la danse en prison, in collaboration with choreographer Claire Jenny, as well as in the collective work Danse, enfermement et corps résilients. Recognized for her teaching excellence, she received the Faculty of Social Sciences' Prix d'excellence en enseignement (2010-2011). She has also worked as a consultant for the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2018 and for Arts Access Aotearoa in 2024. In 2025, she will publish a new book on prison theater, co-authored with Thana Ridha, with the University of Ottawa Press.

Claire Jenny creates pieces for both the general public and young audiences. Her work raises sensitive questions about the future of the human being through movement. Since 1995, she has led shared creation projects in French and Quebec prisons, and co-authored Chairs incarcérées: une exploration de la danse en prison with Sylvie Frigon (2009). A resource person for dance in schools, she leads artistic and cultural education projects in a variety of contexts. She passes on the expertise she has acquired through her extensive experience in consultancy, coordination and training of trainers, which she designs and directs.