Meet The Dragon Sisters | Musician/Band

We had the good fortune of connecting with The Dragon Sisters and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi The Dragon Sisters, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
We both left dance companies to invest in our shared vision of creating together. We wanted to build something that we had never seen represented, which could be clouded by a lot of uncertainty. We gratefully always had each other for reassurance and feedback. Risk taking has been a huge factor in our success. We’ve had so many doors open for us only because we were ready and available. You have to put yourself out there, know when to say no and risk being uncomfortable. It usually feels like a leap of faith rather than a risk.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
(Issa & Odessa) are an award-winning multidisciplinary 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, 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, and most recently PAPER Magazine. 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. Their most recent collaboration is a campaign with the one and only Danessa Myricks Beauty, featuring their new single “Beauty Supply.” Available on all platforms, the song is an affirmation to unapologetic black femininity, and will be followed by more new information dropping in Fall 2022. Learn more at thedragonsistersworld.com.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We are huge fans of Company XIV which is a burlesque company that performs renditions of classical stories. A lot of our friends are in the production so we would love to show support. We love seeing plays, musicals and experimental theater. Anything playing at The Public is worth seeing. The special thing about New York City is it’s art scene. There’s a museum and theater in every theater. We also love to bike ride in the park. While New York City has a lot of hustle and bustle in the streets, you can find a lot of peace in nature.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Our queer mother, Natasha Williams has been a huge source of inspiration, motivation, and celebration. We would not be here without her. The work ethic she’s instilled in us is only complimented with her sense of joy, passion, and appreciation for being in the moment.

Website: https://thedragonsistersworld.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedragonsisters/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedragonsisters/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DragonSistersNY

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRIB-u7MAXpd4np1zet8Cqw

Other: https://tidal.com/browse/artist/22720971 https://open.spotify.com/artist/4jt17sIYVx81Z4ySsHpytz https://soundcloud.com/thedragonsisters

Image Credits
Ebru Yildiz, Diva Soria, Danessa Myricks, Grizzstudios, Courtesy of House Yes