Elijah Lancaster in “WILD: Act 1”, photo by Matthew Murphy.
"Celebrated Emmy-nominated choreographer Jeremy McQueen today announced the world premiere of the second installment of his groundbreaking new ballet and four-part dance film entitled WILD to be presented under his Black Iris Project. Jeremy McQueen’s Black Iris Project, the only ballet collaborative of its kind in the country dedicated to telling stories about the Black experience and to providing a platform and safe haven for Black artists, celebrat[ed] its fifth anniversary [in February]. With social justice issues dominating the current national conversation, WILD explores systemic racism and injustice through the real-life accounts of youth who have grown up in juvenile detention centers around the country." [...] "WILD: Act 1, traces the journey of a young man celebrating his 14th birthday behind bars, explores the effects of isolation and imprisonment on childhood development. McQueen was deeply moved upon seeing a photograph by Richard Ross at the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. WILD: Act 1 is also inspired by and features Ross’ award-winning book, Juvenile-in-Justice, a collection of images, interviews, audio documents, and texts created over a dozen years, at 300 sites in 35 states, drawn from the lives of more than 1,000 kids. Ross’ work turns a lens on the placement and treatment of American juveniles housed by law in facilities that treat, confine, punish, assist and, occasionally, harm them." Read more, here.
New York Times Feature here.
“In these decades of work and the sameness of cells, there is much to be learned by the repetition of architecture and repetition of hopelessness. In “WILD”, McQueen takes my modest efforts and makes these kids come alive with hope and passion and grace. I wish all the kids have worked with could see this film and see their pain is understood and they are respected.”
-Richard Ross