A dancer is fatally stabbed after a confrontation in New York, prompting a tribute from Beyoncé

MIDWOOD — The fatal stabbing of a gay man after a confrontation between a group of friends who were dancing to a Beyoncé song and young men who apparently took offense has outraged New York City’s LGBTQ community and spurred Beyoncé herself to post a tribute on her website.

No arrests have been made in Saturday’s stabbing of O’Shae Sibley, a 28-year-old professional dancer, at a Brooklyn gas station.

Police have released few details on the investigation and haven’t discussed a motive, but a friend who was there, Otis Pena, said in an emotional Facebook video that Sibley died “because he stood up for his friends.”

Sibley performed with the dance company Philadanco in his native Philadelphia and in New York. He used dance to celebrate his LGBTQ identity in works such as “ Soft: A Love Letter to Black Queer Men,” choreographed by Kemar Jewel.

Sibley took classes with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Ailey Extension program, whose director, Lisa Johnson-Willingham, said in a statement, “We are shocked and heartbroken that O’Shae’s life has been taken by senseless violence and extend our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.”

Sibley was at a Mobil station in Midwood with friends getting gas, listening to Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” album “and just having a good time,” Pena said in his video.

News reports have widely described Sibley as having been stabbed while dancing, but security camera video shows a more complex situation.

The video, obtained by several news organizations, shows some of the men in Sibley’s group doing a dance-like strut by their car, shirtless in bathing suits. A short time later, Sibley walks to the gas station’s convenience store and starts speaking with a young man, who looks agitated. As they talk, a small…