The Possibility and Love of Issa & Odessa Dragon
In this profile series, Revry is highlighting authentic contributors to the queer media and entertainment community. We ask questions to find out who they are and where they are going in the future. The questions remain the same but the answers tell their unique story. It’s time to explore and celebrate true representation beyond the limits of Hollywood.
Issa & Odessa Dragon are an award-winning multi hyphenated performance duo based in Brooklyn. They are completely out of the box and can be seen performing all over NYC and Jersey, where they have stormed as staples in the community. This sisterhood and collaboration began while Issa and Odessa were studying at the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College (where Odessa is now a professor). Their individual careers in professional dance includes contracts with The Martha Graham Dance Company, Gallim Dance, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More and the Metropolitan Opera. They have presented work with Mana Contemporary, Carnegie Museum of Art, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, and Gibney Dance. The Dragon Sisters are major forces in the NYC nightlife scene. They won twice at the 2021 Glam Awards: Best Duo/Group and Breakthrough Artists of the Year. Their debut EP, The Fine Print, was also released in 2021, and in 2022 The Dragon Sisters were honored as official ambassadors for NYC Pride.
They have presented live music in collaboration with Summer Stage Festival, Lady Fag’s Lady Land Festival, Daybreaker, and Zero Community. Their work as artists and culture leaders has been covered in media outlets including Billboard, Vogue, TelfarTV, PAPER Magazine, and most recently, The New York Times. A Dragon Sisters experience is equal parts dynamic synchronous movement, lyric incantations, skin, glitter, and hip-hop vibrations that reach audiences in their viscera. Their music and performances pay homage to their ancestry and black & brown queer futurity. Their music is a hypnotic concoction of Bronx grit with a Southern pulse. Their style interprets femininity and power to promote possibility and love.
What are you best known for?
The Dragon Sisters are best known for their music as a multi hyphenated duo. We are well know for our long time friendship, physical abilities as classically trained dancers and skills as dynamic writers, lyricists, and theater makers.
When was the first time you performed?
The first time we performed together was in college while studying at the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase. We were often paired together, because of our similar height and stature.
What are you working on that no one’s knows about yet?
We are so excited to announce we will be going on tour in the Summer of 2023. Europe and The US! (Dates TBD) We are also excited to be creating an original immersive experience at The Shed, which will premier in the Summer of 2024.
