“Go ye therefore and teach all nations what justice needs to be about…” -Her 3:9
The Epistle of Her is a choreopoem written and performed by Leslie N. Polk (as Babygirl), where she finds herself at the dinner table, writing letters to her ancestors after conversing with an elder Mother and the Spirit guides. This autobiographical account comes after an enraging experience that leads her to question the impacts of religion, race, gender, and sexuality.
With a mix of brute honesty and humor – and through awe-inspiring poetry, deep expressions of movement, and thought-provoking monologues – this solo performance seeks to challenge harmful ideas that ignore the value and interrelatedness of all beings. In doing so, it commemorates and celebrates women from the past, calling the performer and the audience to cultivate spaces of transformation for personal and communal well-being.
Content Warning:
Language and depictions of physical violence
*This work was created, developed, and executed under the auspices of a Student Artistic Fellowship at the Movement Lab at the Milstein Center at Barnard College.
*This work is produced with the support of the American Academy of Religion and the Luce Foundation.
