“of the flesh” by dominique lesleyann

"Of the Flesh" unfolds as a ritual of movement. Using the power of the altar, "of the flesh" grounds audiences in the practice of bringing their dreams into the physical world and allowing them to see its fullest potential through the journey of the spiritual and physical plane. A gathering of gestures, pauses, and repetitions that trace what has been held in the body-spoken and unspoken.

Guided by vivid imagery and ancestral sensibilities, Of the Flesh centers the body as archive, altar, and conduit. Through movement, voice, and layered visual worlds, the performance explores themes of vulnerability, reclamation, sensuality, and connection. It honors the sacred wisdom held in skin, muscle, breath, and lineage.

The evening unfolds as a communal offering: a holding space for reflection, witnessing, and shared presence. Audiences are invited not just to observe, but to feel- to sense themselves in relationship to the performer, the land, and the collective pulse of those gathered.

The work moves through layers of remembrance and release, asking: What does the body know? What remains? What can be softened? What can be brought to action?

This piece is the call to go inward. To lay your troubles, hopes, fears, burdens at the altar and allow your soul to guide you to your truth, your peace, your happiness.

You will leave feeling whole.

The sole purpose of this ceremony is to return to the practice of honoring the self, our ancestors, the land, and the community we all shepherd. My goal is to answer the question: How do I make ceremony and ritual more accessible to humanity? I believe in humanity’s evolution—to connect and overcome—through the power of venerating our dreams through song, embodiment through dance, and ancestral movement.

Collaborators include: Bianca Mendoza-Prado, Adelf, Audrey Johnson, Saman Qadir, Madeline Freidman, Taylor Bezile, Laya Cooperman, Shawl Anderson Dance Center, Krissy Keefer, my mother Leslie Penn and my two aunties TT Elyse and TT Yaminah, and most importantly God and my community.