• SOMATIC Practices

  • ‘Our bodies and minds are inseparable, inter-related systems that carry the impact of all our past experience and those of generations which preceded us’ - MJ Barker.  

     

    Somatic practices are those that see our bodies at sites of knowledge, pleasure and learning. They are ‘embodied’ and can include dance and movement as well as more contemplative approaches that look to unite the mind and body in more holistic ways. 

     

    This year, we have commissioned a creative programme to test out somatic approaches that explore the resonance of this work within specific LGBTQ+ contexts - whether that be around gender diversity, bodies in migration or what it means to ‘move’ feelings of shame or more fully connect to the natural world through our body senses.

     

    • Winter Wilding

      Winter Wilding

      Over the winter period between 2023/24, eco-therapists Becca Parkinson and Ly Orrock invited us to embark on a journey of self-discovery through connection with the natural world. Through a unique blend of experimental movement, ritual, moments of rest, and art-making using natural materials, these workshops were designed to center Queer and Trans wellbeing. Participants were invited to engage with nature, embracing its fluidity and ever-evolving nature. This workshops took place at the nearby, Greenwich Ecology Centre, with whom QUEERCIRCLE have collaborated on a number of different projects. 

       

    • Moving Shame

      Moving Shame

      Gemma Lucas is a Yoga teacher and researcher who is currently exploring how shame is an under-acknowledged factor in our mental health, especially when underpinned by harmful gender norms. Her yoga sessions are designed to ground us in compassionate self-acceptance. She has run two sets of workshops at QUEERCIRCLE which aimed to gently guide us and ask us to reflect on our own personal experiences of the discomfort of shame and its social and cultural causes. ‘Together we will explore how creative practices can help us to (re)move shame in our bodies and lives.’ These event was co-designed with MJ Barker. Image from the zine Welcome Monster Feelings.

       

    • Serious Play

      Serious Play

      This 3-day workshop is led by poet and choreographer, Oluwaseun Olayiwola and comprises movement exploration, risk taking, improvisation, and performance practices. It prepares the participants to continually find fresh ways of approaching movement material with surprise, curiosity, and rigor. All sessions will begin with an improvisational warmup before moving into my physical explorations of space, the body, and language, facilitated through Oluwaseun Olayiwola's choreo-poetic.