“The genius in his work lies in Dominic’s ability to translate the full range of human emotions into kinetic expression in a way that is both deeply layered and easy to understand”.
-Danielle Van Hook, Director of Youth Theatre Programs at The Alden/McLean Community Center (McLean, VA)
The Remember Balloons
This show means a lot to me.
It’s a national touring dance-theater piece for families, inspired by the children’s book The Remember Balloons by Jessie Oliveros and Dana Wulfekotte. I found it in the library under “Books About Difficult Topics,” took it home, read it with my kids — and knew I had to make it into movement.
The story explores memory, aging, and how we hold on when someone we love begins to forget.
With original music by my friend and Akron jazz great Theron Brown, this piece is full of heart. We made it for young people and their grown-ups — to open the door for conversations we often avoid but deeply need.
It’s tender. It’s joyful. It’s one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever made.
Watch here → [PBS Western Reserve]
Black by Nature
I’ve been sitting with this one for a while.
Black By Nature is a new work I’m building about Black folks and the natural world — not the romantic version, but the real one. It’s about the fear, the unease, the inherited disconnection we carry into the woods, the water, the open land. For so many of us, nature hasn’t always felt like a safe place — even though it’s ours, too.
This piece isn’t about skipping over that truth. It’s about naming it. Facing it. And maybe — slowly — starting to reclaim something that was always meant for us.
Works-in-progress coming Fall 2025.
The Remember Balloons Live!
This is the next evolution.
The Remember Balloons Live! takes the original children’s show and expands it into something much deeper — a full-length stage work with 20 live musicians, layered movement, and the kind of emotional weight only the blues can hold. Not just the style of the blues, but the spirit of it. The inheritance. The memory. The ache and the beauty passed down.
This version adds new layers — including a “dad” character who brings a grounded, intergenerational voice to the story. We’re stretching the storytelling through music and movement, digging deeper into what I call Urban Midwest Storytelling. Honestly, this may be the most complete investigation of that idea I’ve ever created.
The Remember Balloons Live! will be filmed for PBS Western Reserve and submitted for national broadcast — look for it sometime in late 2026 or early 2027.
“Dominic is creating important work that draws unique communities into conversations we need to have now. His work challenges us all to think about our world from different perspectives and pushes us to think about our own responsibilities to make this world we live in more equitable. His work touches the soul.”
-Anthea Scouffas, Engagement Director, Lied Center of Kansas (Lawrence, KS)
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