THE BLACK EXCELLENCE AWARDS
The Black Excellence Awards were established in 2001 to honor the outstanding artistic accomplishments of Black artists across genres, including theater, dance, music, film, literature, visual art, and digital media. The submission period is now open, welcoming submissions from individuals, organizations, and producing affiliates.
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The Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago celebrated the 23rd annual Black Excellence Awards on Monday, November 6, 2023. The Black Excellence Awards were established to honor Black artists' outstanding works of art in Theater, Dance, Music, Film, Literature, Visual Arts, and Digital Media communities.
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2023 HONOREES
DANCE
Outstanding Dance Production
Praize Production, Inc.
Call Her by Name
AWARDEE
South Chicago Dance Theater
Memoirs of Jazz in the Alley
Red Clay Dance Company
Rest. Rise. Move. Nourish. Heal.
Celebrating Black Excellence in Dance, we are pleased to celebrate these incredible artists for outstanding choreography.
The nominees for Outstanding Choreography are:
Tracey Franklin
Freedom at Deeply Rooted
Dance Theatre
AWARDEE
Joel Hall
Widows at Joel Hall Dancers & Center
Era Footwork Crew
Broken Heart at Era Footwork Crew
Taylor Edwards, Brandy Ford, Joshua Hopkins, and Trevon Lawrence
Deep Inside at Chicago Multicultural Dance & Hiplet Ballerinas
Starinah Dixon
Beautiful Love at M.A.D.D. Rhythms
Idy Ciss
Liberte' at Muntu Dance Theatre
THEATRE
The nominees for Outstanding Theater Production are:
Black Ensemble Theater
Blue Heaven
Black Ensemble Theater
The Real Housewives of Motown
Theater 47
Imitation of Life
Congo Square Theatre
How Blood Go
Black Ensemble Theater
Reasons: A Tribute to Earth, Wind, and Fire
AWARDEE
MPAACT
Ezekiel’s Wheel
Perceptions Theatre
Panther Women
Outstanding Director
Tiffany Fulson
How Blood Go
at Congo Square Theatre
Lauren “LL” Lundy
Ezekiel's Wheel
at MPAACT
Daryl Brooks
Blue Heaven
at Black Ensemble Theater
Daryl Brooks
Reasons: A Tribute to Earth, Wind, and Fire
at Black Ensemble Theater
Michelle Bester
The Real Housewives of Motown
at Black Ensemble Theater
John Ruffin
Imitation of Life
at Theater 47
AWARDEE
Myesha-Tiara
Panther Women
at Perceptions Theatre
Outstanding Actor
Aaron Reese Boseman
Blue Heaven
at Black Ensemble Theater
Christian Bufford
Reasons: A Tribute to Earth, Wind, and Fire
at Black Ensemble Theater
KC Lee
Imitation of Life
at Theater 47
Trequon Tate
The Real Housewives of Motown
at Black Ensemble
Marcus D. Moore
How Blood Go
at Congo Square Theatre
Darren Jones
Ezekiel's Wheel
at MPAACT
AWARDEE
Outstanding Actress
Miciah Latham
Blue Heaven
at Black Ensemble Theater
Keya Trammell
Reasons: A Tribute to Earth, Wind, and Fire
at Black Ensemble Theater
Fania Bourn
Imitation of Life
at Theater 47
De'Jah Perkins
The Real Housewives of Motown
at Black Ensemble Theater
Britt Edwards
The Real Housewives of Motown
at Black Ensemble Theater
Melanie McCullough
The Real Housewives of Motown
at Black Ensemble Theater
Jyreika Guest
How Blood Go
at Congo Square Theatre
AWARDEE
Yolonda Ross
How Blood Go
at Congo Square Theatre
Noelle Klyce
Ezekiel's Wheel
at MPAACT
MUSIC
Outstanding Jazz Musician
Yvonne Gage
AWARDEE
Bruce A Henry
Phil Seed
Outstanding R&B Musician
Jimmy Burns Band
AWARDEE
Yana Renea
Sam Thousand
FILM/DIGITAL MEDIA
Outstanding Film Direction
McKenzie Chinn
A Real One
Patrick Wimp
Mr. Abbott
Addison Belhomme
A Thin Line Between Black and White
Marquis Simmons
Broke Down Drone
AWARDEE
Outstanding Film
The Pulpit
Tosin Morohunfola
The Come Up
LaTaryion Perry
MissedTurn Productions
Hindsight
Kimberly M. Vaughn
Suburban Blvck Girl Production
AWARDEE
Almost 30
Shandrea Funnye
Broke Down Drone
Willie "Prince Roc" Round
LITERATURE
Outstanding Non-Fiction Work
Holle Thee Maxwell
Freebase Ain't Free
Lowell Thompson
African Americans in Chicago (Images of America)
AWARDEE
Jelahn McCoy
Cynthia McCoy Scott
The Real McCoy
Andrea Lewis
Is the Black Man Falling
Outstanding Fiction Work
Tracy Clark
Broken Places
Danny Gardener
A Negro and an Ofay
Damone Bester
Mendel: Sometimes Ya Gotta
Run for Your Life
AWARDEE
Outstanding Poetry Work
avery r. young
NeckBone: Visual Verses
Jamila Woods
Black Girl Magic
Harold R. Greene III
Black Roses
Growing Concerns Poetry Collective
First You Need A Body
AWARDEE
VISUAL ARTS
Outstanding Visual Artist
Quinton Foreman
Homecoming:
Black Craft & Design in Chicago
Alan Emerson Hicks
Diasporal Rhythms
Maxwell Emcays
Englewood Public Unveiling
AWARDEE
Outstanding Exhibition
All Children Draw
Blanc Gallery
AWARDEE
Black Light Cinema
Southside Community Art Center
Exhibits with Candice Hunter
and George Crump
Faie Gallery
SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS
Special Recognition: Black Arts Advocate
Vincent E. Williams
Black Theatre Alliance Awards
AWARDEE
Special Recognition: Black Arts Advocate
Erin Harkey
DCASE Commissioner
AWARDEE
Special Recognition: Black Arts Advocate
avery r. young
Chicago Poet Laureate
AWARDEE
Special Recognition: Producing Advocate, Theater: Outstanding Performer
TayLar
Arsenic and Old Lace
at Court Theatre
Gabrielle Lott-Rogers
Boulevard of Bold Dreams
at Timeline Theater
AWARDEE
Celeste Williams
Arsenic and Old Lace
at Court Theatre
Sydney Charles
Last Night and the Night Before
at Steppenwolf Theatre
Tracey Bonner
Toni Stone
at Goodman Theatre
Ayanna Bria Bakari
Last Night and the Night Before
at Steppenwolf Theatre
Karen Aldridge
Is God Is
at A Red Orchid Theatre
Special Recognition - Producing Advocate, Theater: Outstanding Director
Ron OJ Parson
Trouble In Mind
at Timeline Theatre
Valerie Curtis-Newton
Last Night and the Night Before
at Steppenwolf Theatre
Malkia Stampley
Boulevard of Bold Dreams
at Timeline Theatre
Marti Gobel
Is God Is
at A Red Orchid Theatre
AWARDEE
Special Recognition: Outstanding Dance Production
Refraction
at Hubbard Street Dance
AWARDEE
Special Recognition: Outstanding Producer
The Chicago Black Dance
Legacy Project
AWARDEE
BLACK EXCELLENCE AWARDS COMMITTEE
A special thanks to our dedicated committee members for the 2022-2023 adjudication season for their review and nominations.
Tanita Abrahamson,
Black Excellence Committee Chair
Ezra Brown
Erika Flowers
Ivy Jackson
Alicia Moore
Rahsaan Clark Morris
Gwendolyn Sea
Kim DuBoise Morris
Lynette Moore
Dara Sanders
Mae Pearson
Alice Rivers
Wanda Young
Portia McFarland,
Black Excellence Committee Vice-Chair
Tia Scott
Sylvia Dyer
Sandra Gibson
Claudette Lewis
Bonnie Taylor-Williams
Allan Baldwin
Marcus Bullock
Valeria Hubbard
Ronald Leveston
Jacquelyn Perkins
Pamela Brown
Hilda Coleman