THE ILLUSTRIOUS BLACKS TO HOST BESSIE AWARDS CEREMONY ON AUGUST 4, 2023
AT LINCOLN CENTER’S DAMROSCH PARK
New York, NY (July 25, 2023) – The New York Dance and Performance Awards, The Bessies, announce the lineup of special guests for the 39th Bessie Awards Ceremony. Acclaimed queer pop duo The Illustrious Blacks (Manchildblack x Monstah Black) will host this year’s ceremony, which will be held on Friday, August 4, at 7:30pm, at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park as part of Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City. Doors open at 6:30pm. Admission is free. To preregister for tickets, click here. For more information, visit the 39th Bessie Awards Ceremony page.
Award presenters include notable members of the dance and performance community, including Mireicy Aquino, George Faison, Jhailyn Farcon, Dionne Figgins, Erin Fogerty, Tiffany Geigel, Dyane Harvey Salaam, Karisma Jay, Gian Marco Riccardo Lo Forte, Fredrick Earl Mosley, Abdel Salaam, Paz Tanjuaquio, and Ms Vee. The 2023 Bessie Jury panelists—Ayodele Casel, Kyle Marshall, and luciana achugar—will present the award to this year’s Juried honoree.
The evening will include performances by Dance Theatre of Harlem, performing in honor of Lifetime Achievement in Dance recipient Virginia Johnson, Princess Lockerooo’s Fabulous Waack Dancers, Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance, and Ladies of Hip-Hop Collective, performing in honor of Service to the Field of Dance recipient Michele Byrd-McPhee, and students from AbunDance Academy of the Arts.
The 2023 Bessie Awards Ceremony is produced by Torya Beard and Bessies Executive Director Heather Robles.
A list of the 2023 Bessie nominees can be found at 2023 Bessie Nominees.
About the Hosts
Self-proclaimed Afro-Electro-Disco-Space-Punks, DJ/music duo The Illustrious Blacks are unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Part DJ set, part dance performance, part Studio 54, part Berlin underground, this NY couple knows how to put on a SHOW!
With inspiration from artists like Prince, David Bowie, Grace Jones, Depeche Mode and George Clinton, The Illustrious Blacks have arrived with a mission to fuse futuristic funk, hypnotic house, space disco and synth-pop into pulsating positivity for the planet. The real-life married couple are not only co-pilots on their artistic voyage, but are united in their fantastical journey through life.
In 2017, the duo that The New York Times called Bed-Stuy’s “favorite creative couple” released their highly anticipated debut EP, Neo Afro Futuristic Psychedelic Surrealistic Hippy, on Concierge Records. In the same year, the dynamic duo found time to work on a remake of the 90s dance floor classic “Funk That!,” which spawned a popular music video.
Currently, The Illustrious Blacks are working on the final touches of their debut album and on various musical collaborations with notable dance music producers Luke Solomon (Beyoncé), Russell Small (Freemasons), Seven Davis Jr., KDA, Nickodemus, and Toribio and Soul Clap. In 2023 the duo will take Ibiza by storm as part of Glitterbox’s Hi Ibiza residency.
Individually, Monstah Black and Manchildblack illuminate the galaxy with equal magnitude. As The Illustrious Blacks, they have combined their powers to save the world one beat at a time and encourage all to LIVE THE HYPE LIFE!
Photos are available here.
EVENT DETAILS
The 39th Bessie Awards Ceremony
Friday, August 4, at 7:30pm (Doors open at 6:30pm)
Rain date: Sunday, August 6, at 7:30pm
Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center
Presented as part of Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City
Admission is free, first come, first served
For more information, visit 39th Bessie Awards Ceremony.
Stay afterward for a free, live DJ’d Bessies Silent Disco After-Party with DJ Sabine Blazin on Josie Robertson Plaza!
ABOUT THE BESSIES
The New York Dance and Performance Awards have saluted outstanding and groundbreaking creative work in the dance field in New York City for 39 years. Known as “The Bessies” in honor of revered dance teacher Bessie Schönberg, the awards were established in 1984 by David R. White at Dance Theater Workshop. They recognize choreography, performance, music composition, visual design, legacy, and service to the field of dance by independent dance artists and organizations. Nominees are chosen by a selection committee composed of artists, presenters, producers, and writers. All those working in the dance field are invited to join the Bessies Membership and participate in annual discussions on the direction of the awards and nominate members to serve on the selection committee. For more information about The Bessies, visit www.bessies.org.
The 2022–2023 Bessie Awards Selection Committee: Tyler Ashley, Elizabeth Burke, Tymberly Canale, Yoshiko Chuma, Donna Costello, Porshia A. Derival, Tiffany Geigel, Valerie Green, Satsu Holmes, William Isaac, Anabella Lenzu, Gian Marco Riccardo Lo Forte, Shalewa Mackall, Yoko Murakami, Ivan Talijančić, and Kate Thomas.
The Bessies Steering Committee: Paz Tanjuaquio (chair), Yvonne H. Chow, Stanford Makishi, maura nguyễn donohue, Nicky Paraiso, Craig Peterson, Tiffany Rea-Fisher, george emilio sanchez, and Charmaine Warren.
Press contact:
Janet Stapleton – 212-633-0016 / stapleton.janet@gmail.com
Follow The Bessies on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: #theBessies / @bessieawards