WILD: Act I - Ballet + Criminal Justice Reform 4 Favorite 

Practitioner: 

Date: 

Mar 16 2021

Location: 

New York

"WILD: Act I" is a film demonstrating the power of creativity in constraint. Using moving choreography performed by Elijah Lancaster and vivid imagery displayed on three walls in a mock cell, Jeremy McQueen gives voice to young Black and Brown men caught in the criminal 'justice' system. McQueen wanted to capture the abuse and isolation that come with incarceration and juxtaposing that with youthful, imaginative dream scenes inspired by Maurice Sendak's "Where The Wild Things Are," a reminder that incarcerated youth are, indeed, children with children's dreams.

"WILD: Act 1" is the second installment of a groundbreaking new four-part dance film from McQueen's Black Iris Project exploring systemic racism and injustices through the real-life accounts of youth embroiled in the justice system.

External sources: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/16/arts/dance/jeremy-mcqueen-ballet-about-juveni…
https://www.blackirisproject.org/wild
Posted by Anika Pyle on Apr 1 2021

Staff rating: 

0

Effectiveness

How does this project help?

Activates (people)Energizes and organizes people into action. Can include emotion work
Amplifies (issue or campaign)Brings public and political attention to an issue or campaign.  Can include prefigurative action, making the invisible visible.
Strengthens (community)Strengthens, builds and celebrates community through ritual and/or symbol.
Shifts (culture)Shifts the cultural landscape in order to imagine and enable change.

Timeframe For change

This project seems to be part of a campaign with a clear short-term goal. Short-term goals tend to be things like: create or repeal a law; get a President impeached; make the city administration repair a sidewalk. A campaign with a short-term goal needs a clear theory of change, complete with targets that can be cajoled or pressured into effecting the goal.
Bring awareness to the systemic racism and injustice of youth incarceration
This project seems to be part of a campaign with a clear long-term goal. Long-term goals tend to be things like: end racism; end homophobia; make the sun stand still in the sky. A campaign with a long-term goal also needs to have some kind of theory of change.
Reform and/or ultimately end youth incarceration + increase representation of people of color in ballet

Notes

This project is effective because it tells a story that needs to be told in a new and captivating way.