Leslie Mannès

Leslie Mannès is a Brussels-based choreographer. She approaches creation as a quest for metamorphosis and a ceaseless movement between order and chaos. In response to the current disconnection from the living world, she seeks to adopt a posture of listening, in order to feel and absorb the beauties and tensions of her surroundings. On stage, she offers a reinterpretation that proposes the duration of a performance as a shared space for collective reflection.

The relationship with audiences is central to her artistic approach. Her trajectory has been punctuated by projects that extend beyond the traditional stage or theater framework, exploring participatory formats, workshops, encounters, and laboratories. There is a dynamic back-and-forth between her participatory projects and her performances. These two strands of her artistic practice deeply nourish one another, and the alternation between different types of audience encounters works as a powerful creative catalyst.

In a world where our interdependence can no longer be denied, it seems crucial to question the notion of collectivity: How do we do things together? How do we listen? How do we reach consensus? How do we challenge our privileges? How do we face our traumas and collaborate to fight the fear of the other and abolish all forms of domination? While she does not claim that performance alone can resolve these ecological and societal issues, she believes in placing collectivity, connection, and empathy at the heart of her artistic research.

Leslie Mannès is an associate artist at the VARIA Theater and is supported by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.

Leslie Mannes is an Onassis AiR Fellow for 2025/26 in the framework of Grand Luxe network accompanied by Grand Studio.

Onassis Stegi’s participation in the network is developed as part of its Touring Program initiatives.