PAST EVENTS
JUNETEENTH at House of YES!
June 19, 2023
Beyond the Black Box would like to thank YOU for attending our FREE: Juneteenth Party at House of Yes! With over 2,000 RSVPs, we were able to raise 100% of our fundraising goal!
The experience included free tattoos by Dexter Ambrosius, live hair braiding by Tim Daly, and our signature community mural hosted by Chantal Stone. Performances by Twin Eclipse, Sage Sovereign, and BBB’s dance collective. Thanks to Mi Za Plaz Cater grilled entrees and snacks were provided throughout the space. In addition, for the first time ever at House of Yes, we were happy to host a Juneteenth offering ceremony initiated by Mawu, a genderless, queer femme Afro-Caribbean artist and spiritual practitioner. Mawu’s practice is influenced by the Akan and Senegalese altar traditions.
This was TRULY A VIBRANT AND ETHEREAL BLACK ENTERTAINMENT experience, and together we uplifted Black joy and freedom through dance and ritual! We can’t wait to see you at the next one!
THE BBB GALA
February 11th, 2023
At Beyond the Black Box’s Winter Gala, we carried our tradition of community mural making a cozy winter evening of experiences at Triskelion Arts. This evening commenced with breath work lead by Karine Plantadit and was followed with performances by Chanel Stone, Cemiyon Barber, and Eric and Erica Parra: Parra La Gente. A special cocktail menu crafted by our partner, El Silencio, and food catered by @krisdabronxvegan was featured throughout the space. Thanks to the support, we were successful in raising money for our full year of programming!
BBB: The First Event
September 24th, 2022
Hosted in collaboration with Triskelion Arts last fall, BBB’s debut Day Event focused on uplifting and expanding our 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, 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.
“We came together and wrote our traumas on paper that we glued to the body of a sculpture Chantal created. The glue smeared the pigment of the colored pencils, creating a rich textured vibrant layer of dress over the sculpture. We named her Oshun. By giving her our collective traumas she will transform them into something stronger, resilient, and fortified with the love and support of our greater community.” – Chanel Stone
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.
Partnerships
Cadence X Beyond the Black Box 2023
Cadence, a vegan soul food restaurant in NYC's East Village, dedicated a dessert to our organization Beyond the Black Box in honor of Black History Month! At the end of the month, we received 100% of the proceeds. We'd like to thank Sharif Stone for making this happen, as well as Chef Shenarri Greens for creating the most incredible dessert.
Triskelion Arts X Beyond the Black Box
Beyond the Black Box was born at Triskelion Arts, which has served as an incubator for our organization's growth. They assisted us in producing our first event, as well as our first annual gala. Triskelion Arts was the first organization to offer us funding, resources, and guidance. We would not be here without their assistance.