Who are we // our story
“In my late twenties I became ill. Like a lot of people I was working too hard, obsessively busy, & struggling to find a sense of connection to myself or anything around me. After ten years of pushing too hard, my body told me no. A bad bout of flu - through which I kept working - left me with a damaged inner ear & chronic vestibular migraine. I felt broken in body & in spirit. And so began a 7-year journey to regain the ability to do normal everyday activities & then, eventually, to return to dancing & teaching movement. The study of somatic movement was vital to my recovery & continuing to practise regularly now helps me to stay well, & find new joy in life.” - Kate (Director & Co-Founder)
“As a teenager I went through several years of debilitating chronic pain. I had to quit playing music, my biggest passion, and spent most of my time in water where I was weightless & pain-free. By chance I was introduced to Feldenkrais, & later to meditation. I began the transformative journey of learning to listen to my body in such a way that I could change the physical & emotional patterns that were causing the pain. I emerged a new person & went on to do things that, at my lowest, I never would have thought possible.” - Benjamin (Director & Co-Founder)
STUDIO SOMA is born of the desire to share the knowledge that changed both our lives so dramatically. We were lucky; we already knew a little bit about somatic movement from working in theatre & dance, & were living in big cities where classes with experts were readily available. Not everyone is in this position. STUDIO SOMA gives people access to this help: you can learn from some of the best teachers in the world from the comfort of your home, wherever you are & whoever you are. Our classes are for people just like you - people who are busy in their everyday lives, but looking for a way to connect better to themselves, each other, & the world around them. We look forward to welcoming you in our classes. This is a space for you.
KATE SAGOVSKY is Director & Co-Founder of STUDIO SOMA. She is an international artist specialising in somatics, movement, & live performance. Her work facilitates embodied experiences to help people connect better to themselves, others, & the world.
Kate trained in movement & dance at both RCSSD & Laban. Subsequently she completed a four-year professional training programme to become a Qualified Feldenkrais Practitioner, & is a member of the Feldenkrais Guild UK. She teaches regular Feldenkrais classes for STUDIO SOMA, as well as developing our programme of classes & workshops.
She also works across theatre, dance, & live art as a director, movement director & choreographer; as well as doing extensive work as a teacher, writer, & workshop facilitator. She has been teaching movement in a range of contexts for well over a decade including as Resident Movement Practitioner at the Royal Shakespeare Company; & at venues such as the National Theatre, The Barbican, & Shakespeare’s Globe. She is Artistic Director of performance company MOVING DUST; & also works with people from a range of backgrounds in both community & corporate settings through The Present Self Method. Her first book Laban’s Efforts in Action was co-written with Vanessa Ewan & published by Bloomsbury in 2019.
BENJAMIN BLACK is Director and Co-Founder of STUDIO SOMA. He is a Qualified Feldenkrais Practitioner & professional musician based in Stockholm & London. He is the current vice chairman of the Swedish Guild of Feldenkrais Practitioners & runs Stockholm Feldenkrais Center where he works with clients from a wide range of backgrounds.
Benjamin has over 14 years experience of training in somatic practices, including the Feldenkrais Method, Yoga Asana, meditation, breath-work, & contemporary dance. He first encountered the Feldenkrais method in 2006 & later went on to complete the four-year professional training programme with Elizabeth Beringer & Scott Clark in London. He completed his yoga teacher training with Noah McKenna in Mysore, India. Previous to that he trained both as a dancer/performer & as a musician at the National Institute of the Arts (el ISA) in Havana, Cuba & in Sweden at Malmö University of Music.
Benjamin teaches regular Feldenkrais classes for STUDIO SOMA, as well as developing our programme of classes & workshops.
He has a special interest in working with people with chronic pain, stress, & disability, as well as athletes & people in the performing arts sector.
Follow our journey // @studiosoma.space
