72nd Diana Awards

Dessie Love-Blake, Host
Dessie Love-Blake, a Houston-based drag performer, achieved the prestigious title of Miss Gay America 2024, marking the first time a Houstonian has held this honor since 1985. Her journey into drag began in the early 2010s when she participated in a charity fundraiser for her bowling league, leading to the creation of her alter ego, Dessie Love-Blake. Over the past decade, she has garnered numerous accolades, including Miss Gay Texas America 2014 and first alternate positions in multiple national pageants. Known for her Glam Rock style blended with Las Vegas showgirl flair, Dessie has also appeared in the Netflix series "AJ & the Queen." Beyond performing, she has hosted 17 seasons of "Dessie’s Drag Race," contributing significantly to the Houston and Galveston drag communities.

Alex Navarro, Music Director
Alex Navarro, a native of Houston, Texas, is a distinguished pianist, composer, arranger, and jazz educator. He currently serves as the president of the Houston Professional Musicians' Association, Local 65-699 of the American Federation of Musicians. Navarro's extensive career includes roles as music director for Engelbert Humperdinck and collaborations with artists such as Queen Latifah, Carly Simon, and Rod Stewart. In Houston, he is the resident music supervisor for Theatre Under The Stars and a pianist for the Houston Ballet Academy.

Courtney Markowitz, Singer
Courtney Markowitz is an American actress and vocalist renowned for her dynamic presence on both Broadway and Houston stages. She made her Broadway debut in the revival of "Jekyll & Hyde," performing alongside Constantine Maroulis and Deborah Cox. Her national tour credits include roles in "Spring Awakening" and "Jekyll & Hyde." A proud Houston resident, Markowitz has graced the Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) productions with standout performances in "Ragtime," "Mary Poppins," "Into the Woods," "Bonnie & Clyde," and "Lizzie the Musical." Beyond the theater, she has showcased her vocal talents with esteemed ensembles such as the San Francisco Symphony and the Pittsburgh Symphony POPS. Markowitz holds a BFA in Music Theatre from Elon University and is a dedicated member of the Actor’s Equity Association.

Ben Chavez, Singer
Ben Chavez is a versatile Houston-based singer, actor, and composer known for his dynamic performances on stage and at the piano. A graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, he has toured nationally with Disney's "Aladdin" and graced renowned venues such as Madison Square Garden and The Kennedy Center. In Houston, Ben has appeared in productions like "Newsies" and "Frozen" at Theatre Under The Stars and is set to perform in "West Side Story" with the Houston Grand Opera in 2025. Beyond theater, he engages audiences with his piano/vocal shows at local venues, including Michael's Outpost, and has released original music, with his latest single "Golden Era" debuting in early 2025. Ben's commitment to the arts extends to his role as a vocal coach and his involvement in charitable initiatives, such as his weekly Livestream piano bar that has raised over $20,000 for various charities.

Dylan Croy, Choreographer | Diana Dance Ensemble
Dylan is from Kingwood Texas. He is a dancer, choreographer, and singer-songwriter. He graduated from HSPVA in 2016 and then went on to get his BFA in Dance at The Juilliard School in 2020. Dylan is also a YoungArts Alum, receiving recognition in Modern Dance as well as Choreography. More recently he has been dabbling in his songwriting and releasing new music on popular music platforms. He is continuing to fuse his artistic crafts together to create work that crosses many genres.

Robbie Moore, Dancer
Robbie Moore grew up dancing from age six in Houston, Texas, where he attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. In 2010, he was named Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Robbie graduated from the Juilliard School in 2014. Robbie toured internationally with L.A. Dance Project, under the direction of Benjamin Millepied, from 2015-2017. In 2019, Robbie moved to Belgium to work for Eastman - Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, where he continues to collaborate. In Antwerp, he trained under Anna Rubau to become a certified True-Pilates instructor. Robbie worked as Resident Choreographer from 2020-21 and continues still as a Guest Artist with Houston Contemproary Dance Company. In 2022, he performed and toured withBallet du Grand Théâtre de Genève in Switzerland.  In 2023, he appeared in Iconoloclast’s commercial ad for Lady Gaga x Dom Pérignon directed by Yoann Lemoine. That same year, he performed in the Loubi Show for Paris Fashion Week directed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. In June 2024, Robbie worked aboard the EUROPA 2 in a new Stepping Grounds production created by Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman. He currently resides in Houston working as a freelance dancer, Pilates instructor, movement coach and choreographer.

Ren Hall, Dancer
Ren Hall is a versatile professional dancer, choreographer, and composer hailing from San Antonio, Texas. Ren's journey in dance began with liturgical dance at his church, later transitioning to classical ballet and other disciplines in high school. His dedication to the craft led him to join the San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet for two seasons while still in college. Following this, Ren performed as a guest artist with Ballet San Antonio and the San Antonio Youth Ballet, where he brought to life beloved classics such as Snow White, Cinderella,  Blanca Flor, The Firebird, The Nutcracker, and Scheherazade.  After college, Ren embarked on an exciting chapter performing on cruise ships, where he entertained audiences across the Caribbean under three separate contracts with various cruise lines. During breaks, Ren was the lead choreographer for the Carver Performing Arts Schools summer musical theatre program. In 2023, Ren received a scholarship to attend Houston Contemporary Dance Company's summer workshop. His talents earned him a spot as a trainee, and he is now thriving in his second season with the company, and excited about what the future has in store.

Niyah Pratt, Dancer
Niyah, originally from Seattle, Washington, attended University of Nevada, Las Vegas where she received a BFA in choreography and Performance as well as a Bachelors of Science in Urban Affairs. While at UNLV, under the direction of Louis Kavouras, she was able to work with choreographers such as Christopher Huggins, John Lehrer, Alex Yonkovich, Pip Schultz, and Jason Hortin. Niyah has performed in works for the University Partners showcase where she performed an original Erik Hawkins piece in New York, Akropoditi Dance festival in Syros, Greece, Falling in Dance Festival in New York, as well as LINK dance festival in Salt Lake, UT with the Salt Dance Company. This is Niyah’s second season with the company as a guest artist and she is thrilled to continue to embark on this journey.

Vivian Shock, Dancer
Vivian is a native of North Carolina who began her dance journey at the age of six. While in her youth, she had the opportunity to train under Emily Shoemaker, Summer Fare, Eileen Juric, and Nadia Pavlenko. As well as perform works by notable choreographers such as Sonya Tayeh, Jess Hendricks, Anthony Morigerato, and Martha Nichols. She recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from Point Park University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Modern Dance, where she studied under esteemed professors including Garfield Lemonius, Jason McDole, Jae Man Joo, Kiesha Lalama, Kiki Lucas, Marc Spaulding, and Judith Leifer Bentz. Her college career featured impressive performances of works by Bob Fosse, Camille A. Brown, Christopher Huggins, Matthew Neenan, Al Blackstone, Maud Arnold, Julia Erickson, and Staycee Pearl. Vivian is excited to begin her professional career with Houston Contemporary for their sixth season as a Guest Artist.

Stacy Skolnik, Dancer
Stacy Skolnik was born in Houston, Texas; began dancing at the age of three at Margo Marshall’s Ballet Studio in Houston. She continued on at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts where she continued to focus on dance and their different styles. Stacy graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance in May of 2014. Through out the summers, she has also studied at Point Park University’s intensive, Joffrey Contemporary/Jazz intensive in NYC, Joffrey Ballet Intensive in San Antonio, TX and the American Dance Festival. Stacy was a former company member of Gaspard&Dancers in Durham, NC. We showcased a new work at Duke University, which led to being apart of the APAP conference held at the Lincoln Center in NYC. In 2016, Stacy moved back to Houston, TX where she became a founding member of Open Dance Project. She also became Stotts certified Pilates teacher during that time. Performing with the company for over 7 years, she decided to pursue a freelance career dancing and choreographing. Her works have been showcased twice through Dance Source Houston’s, Mind the Gap. She continues to teach and share her dance/Pilates knowledge for all ages and is in the midst of creating and new projects to hopefully be performed!

Live Auction Donors

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