Photos: Breton Follies Presents RECLAMATION

RECLAMATION explores the metaphysical energy of the original location of the Women's House of Detention, now the Jefferson Market Library Garden, through dance by Breton Tyner-Bryan, celebrating the historic contributions of the queer community to Manhattan's Greenwich Village culture and identity, in collaboration with author and historian Hugh Ryan (When Brooklyn Was Queer) reading from his latest book House of D, which explores the story of the Garden's previous existence as a prison: the people it caged, the neighborhood it changed, and the resistance it inspired, available in print May 2022.

"RECLAMATION is a brilliant site-specific performance showcasing a mastery of choreographic form liberated from the traditional dance theater spaces. During a time when audiences have been forced to question both the aesthetic and commercial presentation of live performance and how it fits in to our new normal, Tyner-Bryan's work brings a freshness and accessibility to choreography that is both a reinvention and a rediscovery of what makes the combination of movement and music so arresting." Daniel Mitura, Actor/Producer DJDL Productions.

RECLAMATION is Produced, Directed, Choreographed, and Costumed by Breton Tyner-Bryan (Winner World London IFF, Madrid IFF, Barcelona IFF), Breton Follies' Producing Creative Director (TV: Netflix, Divorce Sarah "Jessica Parker, HBO, "Heading East" starring BD Wong, "Vinegar Tom," Peter Pan Dreamland Stages, "The Knick" HBO, "Manhattan Love Story" ABC). The Creative Team includes: Composer Ai Isshiki (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theater), Frank Collerius Jefferson Market Library, and Hugh Ryan writer and historian.

The Cast of RECLAMATION features Breton Follies Performers Breton Tyner-Bryan (Big Apple Film Festival LGBTQ SHORTS), Dajuan Harris (Spike Lee, Madonna), James Jude Johnson (Juilliard), Tatiana Stewart (The Deuce, Love Life), in collaboration with writer-historian Hugh Ryan. Breton Tyner-Bryan will be screening their latest films INVICTA and WEST OF FRANK, both shot in New York City, in tandem with the reopening of the Jefferson Market Library in 2021. For upcoming shows, film release dates, and more information follow instagram.com/bretontynerbryan and instragram.com/bretontfolliesny.

This event was made possible by generous support from the City Artist Corps Grants, created by NYFA and DCLA with support from the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) as well as Queens Theatre.

The New York Women's House of Detention was a women's prison in Manhattan, New York from 1932 to 1974. Built on the site of the Jefferson Market Prison that had succeeded the Jefferson Market in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, it is believed to have been the world's only art deco prison, designed by Sloan & Robertson in 1931 at a cost of $2,000,000 and opened on March 29, 1932. Its location at 10 Greenwich Avenue gave the women inmates an opportunity to communicate with people walking by. The prison was officially closed on June 13, 1971, and demolition of the prison began in 1973, and it was replaced with a garden. Some of its most famous inhabitants include Angela Davis, Andrea Dworkin, and Mae West.

All photos by Rebecca Seow