Black by Nature

Black by Nature is an outdoor performance about what it means to feel at home in nature, and what it means to wonder whether you belong there at all.

Rooted in Dominic Moore-Dunson’s experience as a Black man and his years working and spending time in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the work grew from his observations, questions, and writing about race, belonging, healing, and the natural world. Poems written during this time became a source for the movement and storytelling within the piece.

The performance takes place on a trail rather than inside a theater. Audiences hike alongside four dancers and 4 live acoustic musicians. As the group moves through the landscape, a series of choreographed vignettes unfold among the trees, trails, and open spaces. Live jazz-influenced music, contemporary dance, poetry, and storytelling respond to the environment in real time, allowing the landscape itself to become part of the performance.

Black by Nature is part dance performance, part outdoor experience, and part invitation to see nature, and our place within it, with fresh eyes. It asks audiences to consider who gets to feel a sense of belonging in the outdoors, how our histories shape that feeling, and what becomes possible when we allow ourselves to simply be in nature.