News

"What impresses me most about Jeremy is his very clear vision as an artist and citizen. Jeremy's goal is to celebrate human diversity not only by creating opportunity for dancers of color, but more importantly to create ballets and dances that tell stories about people of color. It is not enough to incorporate and highlight diversity within our dancing ranks, the ballet and dance cannon needs to expand by including more stories that resonate with and are about people of color."
—Meg Booth, formerly of The Kennedy Center

PREVIOUS EVENTS

(starting with most recent)

2023

San Diego debut! The BIP held its San Diego, California debut on February 8, 2023. WILD and A Mother’s Rite were presented for a sold out crowd at the Balboa Theatre in downtown San Diego.

In February, The BIP presented a special performance of A Mother’s RIte, as part or the Brooklyn Museum’s 25th anniversary celebration of #FirstSaturdays and the museum’s Black History Month celebration! ✊🏽✊🏿✊🏾

2022

The BIP won an Emmy® (from the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences) for Outstanding Musical Composition/Arrangement for "Shelter” from our film WILD: These walls can talk!

In August, The BIP partnered with The Bronx is Reading, NYC Department of Transportation & New York Public Library to host a WILD RUMPUS in Fordham Plaza, as part of the Festival of New York's citywide #DancePartyNYC! The FREE day of activities included storytime readings of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, live performances of excerpts from "WILD" and dance classes.

The BIP was one of four companies highlighted within Program B of New Victory Dance (presented by the New Victory Theater in Times Square), an annual festival Celebrating the incredible artistry and diversity of the New York City dance scene. The BIP presented excerpts from WILD.

The BIP received 8 Emmy® Award nominations from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences — New York chapter! WILD: These walls can talk (the second installment from the WILD series) received 7 nominations and WILD: Bird of Paradise (our final installment) snagged one.

The BIP kicked-off our 7th summer season with a special pop-up performance of excerpts from WILD within the Jamaica Dance Festival in Jamaica, Queens.

“WILD” had its world stage premiere on March 17, 2022, presented by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and 651 Arts as part of Carnegie Hall’s Afrofuturism festival.

The live premiere of “WILD” was highlighted by Jessica Cunnington on NBC 4 New York!

“WILD” is featured in Mic — a digital news company for society’s changemakers, who most influence and impact the world.

“WILD: These walls can talk” was licensed to D.C.’s THEARC Theater for Black History Month. Members of the collaborative also participated in a community discussion, moderated by Candice C. Jones (Public Welfare Foundation).

“WILD: Bird of Paradise” & “A Mother’s Rite were broadcast several times throughout the month of February as part of CUNY-TV’s Black History Month line-up!

2022 kicked off with a dynamic feature by The Marshall Project, highlighting “WILD: Bird of Paradise”

2021

The BIP’s “WILD” series is featured in Pointe Magazine!

Dance/USA and New Music USA hosted “Music and Dance-How to Find Your Creative Partner and Make New Collaborations Happen”, a panel discussion moderated by Juilliard dean & director of dance Alicia Graf Mack and featuring members of The BIP in conversation about the unique creative process of developing the “WILD” series.

The 4th and final installment of our “WILD” series “WILD: Bird of Paradise” premiered on BronxNet Television on November 18th, ahead of the complete “WILD” series being released for streaming on our website.

The BIP kicked off the 2021 Social and Economic Justice Film Festival this year with a special free pop-up screening of “WILD: Act 1” on Wednesday, September 22nd!

The BIP was nominated for TWO 2021 New York Emmy® Awards! Our BronxNet Television broadcasts of “WILD: Overture” and “MADIBA” were both nominated in the Entertainment — Long Form Content category.

“WILD: Entr’acte”, the third installment of the “WILD” series, takes over the streets of The Bronx for a public bike excursion throughout the South Bronx featuring pop-up performances.

BIP collaborator morgxn names McQueen his “60-Second Stan” during a recent interview with Logo TV.

“A Mother’s Rite” is featured in Essence Magazine!

McQueen participated in a two-week virtual residency with Dance Lab New York to develop the third installment of “WILD” entitled “Entr’acte”.

The BIP makes its Carnegie Hall debut with the film adaption of “A Mother’s Rite”, streaming online through May 31st as part of Carnegie Hall’s Voices of Hope festival.

Everyone’s talking about “WILD: Act 1”! It has been featured in Prism, Fordham Magazine, Relevé by Brown Girls Do Ballet, CUNY TV’s Black America, News 12 The Bronx, San Diego Union Tribune, Rolling Out, RISEpreneurs podcast & KPBS.

The Schomburg Center for Research & Black Culture hosted a public discussion and preview performance of “WILD: Act 1” with members of the collaborative team.

McQueen & “WILD: Act 1” are featured in a two page spread in The New York Times!

The BIP releases “WILD: Act 1”, the second installment of the “WILD” series, broadcast on BronxNet Television and streaming exclusively on Vimeo on Demand.

Members of The BIP participated in a two-week quarantine bubble residency at Vineyard Arts Project in Martha’s Vineyard, developing the second installment of “WILD”.

McQueen announces Kayla Collymore and Christian Alexander as recipients of the inaugural “AMP” initiative.

2020

The BIP unveiled “WILD: Overture”, the first film in a four part film series amplifying voices impacted by the juvenile justice system.

McQueen is named a 2020 Soros Justice Fellow, the first choreographer to ever receive this distinction!

“Concrete Roses” is featured in Pointe Magazine!

The BIP launches “Concrete Roses” a new photo series in collaboration with photographer Argenis Apolinario in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The Storm received an incredible feature article on Ebony.com!

Artistic Director J. McQueen led an Instagram Live discussion about the making of The Storm and watch party with dancers Jenna Marie and Damond Garner, hosted by The Joyce Theater.

Brown Girls Do Ballet founder TaKiyah Wallace hosted an Instagram Live conversation with dancer Jenna Marie about her majestic role as “His Vision” in THE STORM.

The BIP was profiled by Dance Magazine. However, the article was unjustly censored. McQueen wrote an essay in response to the feature. Read it here.

MADIBA is featured in the New York Times ahead of Nelson Mandela’s 102nd Birthday!

Popular dance retailer Gaynor Minden hosted a conversation with BIP dancers Daphne M. Lee and David Adrian Freeland Jr. entitled “Becoming Nelson and Winnie Mandela” on their Instagram Live channel.

Brown Girls Do Ballet founder TaKiyah Wallace hosted an Instagram Live conversation with dancer Daphne M. Lee about her groundbreaking role as Winnie Mandela in MADIBA.

The BIP celebrated Nelson Mandela’s posthumous 102nd Birthday on Saturday, July 18, 2020 with a special television broadcast & livestream of MADIBA

Jeremy McQueen’s BIP is proud recipient of a 2020 Project Grant from New Music USA! The grant will support a forthcoming collaboration with musician Amina Scott and singer/songwriter Morgxn,

McQueen is featured in his hometown (San Diego, CA) newspaper, The San Diego Union Tribune on July 4th! Click here to read the article.

A Mother’s Rite receives re-broadcast on CUNY-TV in New York City on Juneteenth (June 19th), June 23rd and June 26th.

The BIP launched Season #2 of its web series #WorkofArtWednesday

McQueen is one of four Black artists featured in BET (Black Entertainment Television)'s digital series “12 Days of Pride”, in honor of Pride Month!

BIP collaborator Sophia Dawson and Artistic Director Jeremy McQueen were featured in a NY1 television segment, discussing their #UnapologeticallyBlack works of art in honor of Black mothers.

The BIP is a recipient of DanceNYC’s Coronavirus Dance Relief Fund for Organizations!

McQueen led a number of “Letters of Love” Digital Workshops with select NYC middle and high schools.

CUNY-TV and BronxNet television stations re-broadcast A Mother’s Rite as part of their Mother’s Day programming

The BIP is featured in The Bronx Times! Click on the link below to read more about A Mother’s Rite and our first Emmy® Award Nomination. https://www.bxtimes.com/bronx-resident-receives-emmy-nod-for-film-a-mothers-rite/

The film adaptation of A Mother’s Rite has received a 2020 Emmy® Award Nomination from The New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences!

J. McQueen taught a master class at Tri-Cities High School in Atlanta, Georgia while en route to lead a week long residency with Alabama State University’s dance department. While serving as a guest Artist-in-residency, McQueen developed material for a new Black Iris Project ballet that will premiere in New York City in July 2020.

The film adaptation of A Mother’s Rite was re-broadcast in New York City on CUNY-TV. A Mother’s Rite was aired six times throughout the month of February. Each screening was paired with McQueen’s 2018 interview on CUNY-TV’s Emmy Award-winning Black America program.

The BIP helped Proskauer Rose LLP celebrate Black History Month with a special private performance of A Mother’s Rite for their lawyers and staff.

The BIP is a 2020-2021 recipient of Dance/NYC’s Dance Advancement Fund (made possible by the Ford Foundation)!

McQueen & The BIP are mentioned in a fantastic article entitled How Ballerinas Of Color Are Changing The Palette Of Dance in Huffington Post.

Following The BIP’s standing room only performance at the Delaware Art Museum, McQueen & The BIP were featured of the front page of the Delaware News Journal.

In late January, The BIP made it’s Delaware debut at the Delaware Art Museum with a sold out performance of A Mother’s Rite.

McQueen & The BIP are featured in the Bronx Times discussing McQueen’s 2019 BRIO Award.

Pointe Magazine recognized our Houston, TX debut as one of the Standout Performances of 2019: Audience Favorites!

2019

The BIP, in partnership with the Radio City Rockettes, hosted Black Iris Project night at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, which brought 300 Bronx youth and adults together for a free performance of the spectacular, a workshop with BIP Artistic Director J. McQueen, and a Q&A with two Rockettes of color.

In August, The BIP made its Texas debut at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Houston, Texas, featuring a cast of 10 dancers and the world premiere of The Storm. Click here to view the program from the performance.

In July, The BIP hosted, Boogie Down Dance Day at Lehman College! The BIP celebrated National Dance Day in The Bronx, in the birthplace of hip-hop, offering a day of free dance classes for youth and adults in a variety of disciplines ranging from hip-hop to ballet.

McQueen received a 2019 BRIO (Bronx Recognizes Its Own) Award from The Bronx Council on the Arts for Excellence in Choreography!

An excerpt of WHAT LIES WITHIN, a ballet choreographed by Jeremy in 2012, was performed at the Out Like That! festival at BAAD! in the Bronx, as well as in the Jamaica Dance Festival in Jamaica, Queens.

McQueen takes part in residency and community engagement New Orleans and Houston, made possible by the Ford Foundation

The BIP received a 2019/20 CUNY Dance Initiative Residency at Lehman College in The Bronx!

The film-adaption of A Mother’s Rite was broadcast on television throughout New York City on CUNY-TV and BronxNet!

The BIP showcased an excerpt from A Mother’s Rite (2018) at the 2019 APAP conference.

The BIP partnered again with The Radio City Rockettes to host Black Iris Project Night at The Radio City Christmas Spectacular

2018

The BIP traveled east for a second residency at Vineyard Arts Project on Martha's Vineyard, developing material for a new ballet.

MADIBA and the world premiere of A Mother's Rite were presented in an exclusive BIP-headlining evening at SummerStage in Marcus Garvey Park.

Jeremy was featured in a Google Talk about the development of his new ballet A Mother’s Rite.

The BIP collaborated with photographer Melika Dez to produce 100 Fists, a photo series honoring the legacy of Nelson Mandela

Success Academy residency and performance of a new ballet profiling Harriet Tubman, performed by select middle school students and featuring Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Amanda Smith in the title role

The Bronx Museum of the Arts hosted a preview performance and discussion of A Mother’s Rite, in culmination of Jeremy McQueen's Artist-in-Residency

Performance for the Kentucky Center's ArtsReach Dance Out Loud event