Over the past year, I have been building bodybased — a somatic rest and movement space created for Black people and people of colour, held at Siobhan Davies Studios in London.

bodybased responds to the lack of accessible, body-based spaces where Black people and people of colour can explore movement, rest and embodied practice outside of the pressures that often shape our everyday experience.

Although bodybased takes place at Siobhan Davies Studios, it is an independently created, produced and delivered practice. The sessions are not currently programmed or financially supported by the venue; they have been sustained through my own resources, unpaid labour, the commitment of collaborators and the trust of the community who continue to show up.

This space exists in recognition that the conditions we move through shape our relationship with our bodies — our ability to rest, process, express ourselves and feel connected. Within contemporary dance and somatic practices, Black people remain deeply underrepresented, despite the richness of Black embodied knowledge, movement traditions and ways of relating to the body.

bodybased creates space for stillness, grief, reconnection and exploration through autonomous rest, somatic practice, contemporary dance and sound. It is a space where participants can move, rest, observe and simply arrive as they are — without expectation of performance or needing to fit into existing ideas of what a dancing body should be.

Alongside bodybased, I have been developing slowrooms with collaborator, dear friend and partner in dreaming ✨ Rambi Marufu ✨ — an expanded evening of somatic movement, acupuncture, bodywork, rest and sound. Together, we explore how movement and care practices can exist alongside one another, creating space for people to slow down and re | member.

On July 18th, almost 30 people joined us for a slowrooms session at Siobhan Davies Studios. This has been the most attendees in one session - bodybased is growing! And I'm endlessly grateful for the folks who continue to show up and support this space.

I am currently seeking larger-scale funding to support the future development of bodybased, but in the meantime I want to ensure that myself and Rambi are also supported in holding this space .

We are raising £2,000 to support the continuation of bodybased and slowrooms.

Your support will contribute towards:

• £384 — slowrooms studio hire cost at Siobhan Davies Studios

• £750 — supporting Ayebainemi Ese’s artistic direction, facilitation, coordination and delivery of bodybased + slowrooms

• £500 — paying Rambi for her specialist slowrooms facilitation, acupuncture and care work

• £366 — recovering studio and delivery costs already personally covered

Every donation helps make this work more sustainable.

If you cannot donate please share this fundraiser with your networks.

Thank you for your continued support .