Drawing from improvisational practices rooted in African Diaspora forms, this class activates community through shared movement exploration. Participants engage in improvisation that moves through key Katherine Dunham technique concepts, preparing the mind, body, and spirit for deeper dance practice. Through intentional articulation of the spine, from the pelvis to the crown of the head, dancers cultivate awareness, grounding, and expressive capacity. Guided scores will be introduced and expanded throughout the session, beginning with mundane symbols that gradually evolve into speculative and fantastical narratives co-created by the group as the class unfolds.
Dominic Mitchell (he/him, they/them) is a disabled dance artist working across the US, EU, and UK. His practice is deeply influenced by the frameworks of Katherine Dunham. Rooted in Afrofuturistic aesthetics and Black phenomenology, Dominic’s work explores living, surviving, and the mundane as speculative, performative acts. His approach is guided by equity, disability knowledge, Black studies, and queer theory, fostering intersectional, inclusive environments where the fullness of each person is welcomed. Dominic works with Gesel Mason Performance Projects (USA), the former Co-Artistic Director of Candoco Dance Company, a Certified Katherine Dunham Practitioner (IDTC), and a founding member of Rootead Enrichment Center (USA).
Independent Dance is resident at Siobhan Davies Studios. To find out more about accessibility and the amenities available within the building please see here.
If you have any questions about the accessibility of our programme and would like to discuss any specific access requirements, please feel free to reach out to us via email info@independentdance.co.uk or by phone on 0207 091 9650, to speak to a member of the Independent Dance team.
During class, all participants are welcome to take breaks, observe, exit and enter the space as they wish. Lounge areas are available on the first and ground floors of the building. Yoga mats, blocks, cushions and ear defenders are available for use. We also welcome you being in contact if you would like to discuss the option of bringing your access support worker. Please speak to a member of the ID team if you require any assistance.
Prices for classes are kept very low and are subsidised by ID in order to support artists to attend. To keep admin manageable for our small team, we don’t offer refunds if you cancel or can’t attend a class, and we can’t transfer your booking to a different class/event. We hope this is understandable. If a class is cancelled or changed by ID however, we do offer refunds/transfers to everyone who has booked.