Our Approach

Beyond the Black Box builds community by creating spaces that center Black artists, prioritize relationships over transactions, and nurture a sense of belonging through shared experience. We’re rooted in care, cultural specificity, and the belief that art—especially Black art—is a powerful vehicle for connection and transformation.

We treat every gathering as a practice of reunion — grounded in storytelling, movement, and intergenerational dialogue. Our events aren’t just shows or parties—they’re curated experiences where artists and audiences can connect authentically, experiment freely, and see themselves reflected in the work and in the room. There’s a familial energy in everything we do—something that says you’re home here.

We produce live dance productions, amplify underrepresented Black artists, and actively infiltrate predominantly white spaces to make room for us. Our community building isn’t limited by format or style—we produce everything from intimate gatherings and multidisciplinary showcases to 3,000+ person club nights and full-on block parties. Each event is a different expression of the same core value: building liberatory, joyful, and expansive spaces for Black artists and communities to gather.

Our Mission

Beyond the Black Box (BBB) is an arts and cultural organization dedicated to amplifying Black voices, fostering connections, and educating through immersive experiences. Our mission is to celebrate, honor, and uplift the Black dance community by creating supportive spaces for artists to thrive. Motivated by a desire to address the lack of representation and support we encountered in our own journeys, we are committed to promoting inclusiveness, fairness, and visibility in the arts world, using dance as the forefront.

BBB achieves its mission by producing dynamic multidisciplinary works, including live dance productions, community engagement initiatives, mentorship programs, and educational opportunities. Our approach seamlessly weaves together elements of popular culture with boundless enthusiasm, showcasing the remarkable accomplishments of our community.
With your support, BBB will continue to empower Black dancers and artists who champion social and political principles of inclusivity, fairness, and visibility, ultimately enriching the cultural tapestry of our community. Together, we will create a brighter future where Black voices are celebrated and heard through the transformative power of the arts.

Our Team

  • Cemiyon Barber

    Co-founder and Marketing Director

    Cemiyon Barber, a native of Mississippi and a 2018 alumnus of SUNY Purchase with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, is a dancer, choreographer, model, and director based in New York City. He has performed in works by some of the most illustrious figures in dance, including Bill T. Jones, Kyle Abraham, Merce Cunningham, and George Balanchine. In spring of 2024, Cemiyon joined The Metropolitan Opera House as a dancer in the premiere of El Nino, composed by John Adams. Additionally, Cemiyon has showcased his original choreography at notable NYC venues, including the Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, Triskelion Arts, and Arts on Site.

    In addition to his dance career, Cemiyon has been featured in fashion publications such as VOGUE Russia and Numero Berlin. His television appearances span networks including PBS Social, HBO, Telfar TV, and MTV. His achievements have garnered recognition in prestigious outlets like The New York Times, The New Yorker, Time Out Magazine, and more.

    In 2022, Cemiyon co-founded Beyond The Black Box, an arts and cultural organization dedicated to supporting and uplifting the Black dance community.

  • Chanel Stone

    Founder and Executive Producer

    Chanel Stone is a performer, choreographer, creator, and skater based in Brooklyn, New York. Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, she moved to NYC in 2015, where she experienced the Black community in dance for the first time. She earned her BFA in Dance from LIU Brooklyn in 2019.

    In April 2021, she became a Resident Artist with Triskelion Arts, where she began the process of undoing and unlearning physical and mental trauma caused by body colonization. Her first solo show, (inner)bloom, premiered in September 2021, combining live performance, art, and film. As a Resident Artist, Chanel partnered with Triskelion Arts to present Beyond the Black Box, an event and organization she founded in Spring 2022. Beyond the Black Box (BBB) is dedicated to celebrating, honoring, and healing the Black dance community by building connections and educating people through experiences. BBB has produced 10 events since its founding, including a Juneteenth party at House of Yes and a four-night event series at Triskelion Arts. The collective has choreographed four original works presented at Triskelion Arts.

  • Dominica Greene

    Admin and Co-producer

    Dominica Greene, a bi-racial Black woman who cherishes and channels my Caribbean heritage and Queerness through an art-based existence. I believe that dance is one of our purest sources of hope and liberation. Based in Brooklyn, New York, I make conceptual, body-based work, rooted in my mission of reflecting to as many people as possible that they not only have the capacity to dance, but are in fact already dancing, perpetually. Utilizing various modalities, tasks, and mental/emotional states to cultivate safe environments for sensorial and creative exploration, I am to impress that dancing is not something to be learned, but something we have innate access to simply by being alive. I create time-centered ecosystems under this premise, to be interacted with and performed by any number of participants.

    My work has been presented by Arts on Site, A Shedding, BADDANCE, Carnegie Museum of Art, Center for Performance Research (CPR), Issue Project Room, Judson Memorial Church, LEIMAY, Movement Research, PROCESSA on Governors Island, Queer Spectra Arts Festival, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, Salt Contemporary Dance Company, and Triskelion Arts.