Who we are …

The Fly Honeys are rotating and ever expanding ensemble of empowered individuals who "celebrate bodies and self-love in a punk-styled, socially progressive" show through song, dance, spoken word, comedy, and large ensemble choreography with professional and novice dancers alike. (Chicago Reader). Choreographer Erin Kilmurray and a team of makers, designers, and performers create and curate new and deeply feminist works that culminate in an intimate + explosive extravaganza set to get the body moving and make you feel good.

What we make …

The Fly Honeys Show is a radical re-imagination of the classic cabaret - a celebration of nuanced intersectional feminist expression by empowering the body, sex, and self ownership through responsive performances and parties that invite radical self-love.

Hyped as a Chicago institution, The Fly Honeys have cultivated a fierce women & femme-centered, queer-celebratory community of high-kicking dancers, singers, ass shakers, emcees, nightlife performers, celebrated DJ’s, and headlining guest artists. All backed by a nine-piece band.

The Fly Honeys (and their Hive) bring “a raucous, raunchy, righteous balm for the soul wearied” (Newcity), along with glittery sweat and bottled up energy to make this a one-of-a-kind performance event, creating a space for all to get loud, get Fly, and get together. 

What We’re All About …

The Fly Honeys elevate women, transwomen, and gender non-binary and non-conforming, and queer communities to empower the body to speak and the voice to act. We bring together a wide range of perspectives within our world and our work to question expected norms of the body, sex, gender and identity.

Through a culture of support and authenticity, The Fly Honeys acknowledge that cities are not built in a day and that change doesn't happen overnight. Through celebrating yourself and your neighbor, you create a ripple effect that can create change.

Inspired by and with reverence to variety show culture and burlesque practices, The Fly Honeys present carefully curated and specifically designed, narrated, and supported performance works that enhance the audience’s understanding of what a variety event is capable of accomplishing - and what individuals are capable of accomplishing. No matter the venue, we bring high-quality and high-energy production and performance with us.

Honey History…

The Fly Honeys began as the brain-child of dance artist, space-maker and performance producer Erin Kilmurray in a loft space of the then-underground Chicago arts organization The Inconvenience in 2009.

Envisioning a project that promoted the talented women creating within her community, Kilmurray and founding artists Mary Williamson (writer, host), Shannon Matesky (writer, performer), John Cicora (music director, band leader, composer), and Missi Davis (producer, general manager), devised, choreographed, curated, and organized a monumental one-night event with 30 performers for an audience of 200 people, and it hasn’t stopped evolving since.

For 10 years The Fly Honeys hosted a grand, raucous annual event that compounded each year in every way - performing at various venues around Chicago - growing to present 400+ artists to thousands of patrons in a month+ long, sold-out, sweaty summertime run - now an award winning project touted as a “Chicago Institution” by the Chicago Reader.

Want the Fly Honeys to come to your town? Give us a buzz.