Black Queer Dancer O’Shea Sibley Was Murdered After Voguing at a Gas Station

CW// Anti-Black violence, anti-gay violence, hate crime

O’Shea Sibley was pumping gas in Brooklyn with his friends on Saturday night. The 28-year-old professional dancer and Brownsville citizen was having fun with friends and voguing for the camera at the Midwood Mobil station when he was approached by a group of white men who claimed that his dancing offended them. Those men murdered Sibley then and there, leaving him to die in the arms of his friends.

Before his death, Sibley was a professional dancer who incorporated vogue into his performances at Lincoln Center, New York Pride events, and as a member of the Philadelphia dance troupe Philidanco. He was also featured in choreographer Kemar Jewel’s celebration of Black queer men “Soft” in 2021.

A talented dancer and beloved member of the community, Sibley was tapped to perform in conceptual artist Jacolby Satterwhite’s 2022 mixed media performance “An Electric Dance to the Music of Time” in 2022. As a performer at the top of his field, it felt like Sibley was just getting started.

Sibley moved to New York from Philadelphia three years ago. According to friends, he loved New York and found a thriving, loving community there. He also found time to give back, volunteering and offering free dance classes at local studios.

Related:

Peruvian TV Producer Ricardo Morán and His Fight to Register His Children

“I have never had a moment in my life when I didn’t wish to be a parent.”

“You probably can find dancers that are versatile, but you won’t always find dancers that are good at mixing styles seamlessly,” Kemar Jewel told the Daily News. Like the best artists, Sibley could do both.