Isaac’s class focuses on practices that act as keys to unlock and connect the body-mind-spirit.
Through somatic exercises focused on breathwork and movement exercises drawing from hip hop, contemporary, and Acogny techniques influenced from Isaac’s work with Alesandra Seutin, the class will explore ways to notice and positively respond to your inner self, build embodied confidence, and expand creativity.
The class begins with sensory scans of the body and its environment. Once this awareness is felt through grounding, movement practices are introduced to explore responding to internal sensations.
Isaac draws from his ongoing training in somatic trauma therapy and mental health research to hold space to navigate these sensations.
Expect a gentle approach that grows into playful, rhythmic, and collective improvisation.
The Acogny Technique, created by Germaine Acogny, centres the viewing of the body as the cosmos – drawing movement inspirations from nature e.g. the spine as the tree and/or serpent of life. These movements are based on three elements: ripple, contraction, vibration/ tremulations. These help to free the body, to feel it in new ways, to be well rooted in the ground, to better appreciate one’s verticality and to open up towards the sky.
Isaac Ouro-Gnao is a Togolese-British multidisciplinary artist, somatic trauma therapist, mental health scholar-activist, and freelance journalist. His work is rooted in magical realism, African futurism, and African indigenous spirituality with a focus on themes of childhood, grief, trauma, memory, and mental health.
He has trained in hip hop, contemporary, and Africana dance styles since 2008, leading him to work with renowned choreographers and companies including Alessandra Seutin’s Vocab Dance and Punchdrunk.
He completed an MSc in Creative Arts and Mental Health in 2022 at Queen Mary University of London, the Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy programme by The Embody Lab and ongoing training at the International School of Holistic Healing, and is a member of survivor-led Traumascapes Arts Collective (CAT) where he continues research on how dance, art, and psychology intersect to aid the healing of trauma.
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 9665, to speak directly to a member of the Independent Dance team. Alternatively, you may phone the main reception at Siobhan Davies Studios on 0207 091 9650.
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.