Our First Event
BBB: The First Event
The founding artists of Beyond the Black Box recognized how most dance events in NYC center around sitting in a quiet theater, so we sought to change this by hosting an evening to sponsor community engagement. On September 24th, 2022, the BBB team brought this vision to life. Partnering with Triskelion Arts, we held space for something larger than a dance event. This first experience, at the time called Beyond the Black Box, focused on uplifting and expanding the Black dance community. We offered an experience-based flea market on-site that included hair braiding, stick-n-poke tattooing, a drum circle, a community mural, double dutch, a vegan chef, and more. At sunset, Chantal Stone, a BBB community member and the Mother of our Founder, led a special trauma release ceremony to bring the community together and segway into the evening’s performance. The evening was hosted by The Dragon Sisters, with performances by Christine Shepard, Christina Rae, Jon Joni, Cemiyon Barber and Chanel Stone. In the heart of Greenpoint, where Black queer representation is scarce, Beyond the Black Box intended to connect the community, even for a day, and showcase the beauty and versatility of Black performance art.