Joffrey Ballet Company Artists' Production Company, Action Lines, Releases New Short Film For Pride Month

The Joffrey Ballet and Action Lines, a video production company founded by Joffrey Artists Xavier Núñez, Dylan Gutierrez, and writer/producer Eric Grant, unveil a bold new video filmed at the FDR Four Freedoms State Park to mark Pride Month. Commissioned by the Freedoms Park Conservancy for their annual Pride Flag installation, which transforms the Grand Stairs at the Park into New York's largest Pride Flag, the video follows a featured Joffrey Company Artist as they dance from one end of the Park to the other, culminating on the steps of the massive Progress Pride Flag. Empowering and celebratory, the dancer peels away layers of old costumes to unapologetically represent the fluidity of sexual and gender identity and personal expression. The film is available at YouTube.com/TheJoffreyBallet.

Created as a company by and for independent performing artists, Action Lines was formed at the height of the pandemic in 2020 by Núñez and Gutierrez, and Grant. Action Lines brings new perspectives to dance films and provides opportunities to strengthen the bonds between the performing arts and digital media.

As described by Action Lines: "This commission is an unapologetic example of personal expression and reminds us of the power of art to further dialogue on human rights. With this work, we wanted to create an intimate portrait of gender and sexual identity by honing in on the journey of an individual dancer. The larger-than-life Pride Flag in the FDR Four Freedoms State Park represents a beacon of hope and freedom that the dancer expresses through movement and transformation. We hope that this triumphant narrative emboldens people of all gender and sexual identities to live their most authentic lives and know that their dreams and desires are celebrated."

"We are grateful to our partners at Four Freedoms Park Conservancy for embracing our artists in their celebration of Pride Month. Collaborations such as this breathe new energy and creative inspiration into our work as artists, professionals, and individuals," says Ashley Wheater MBE, the Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director of the Joffrey.

President and CEO of the Joffrey Greg Cameron says, "We continue to enthusiastically support Action Lines, whose passions and interests-from education to graphic design to film-add to the vibrancy of our artistic community and reflect our collective values, from responding to the conversations of our time to inspiring genuine approaches to inclusion and equity that pave the way towards a better world."

Four Freedoms Park Conservancy's CEO Howard Axel says, "We are thrilled to partner with The Joffrey Ballet and Action Lines in honor of our Pride celebration. Their visionary film is both moving and visually stunning and allows audiences to enjoy a front row seat in one of the world's great architectural masterpieces." Axel adds, "Four Freedoms Park Conservancy partners with arts organizations to bring theater, visual art, dance, and multimedia projects to the presidential memorial to inspire the next generation of conversation around the ideals of the Four Freedoms: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear."

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