Soundtracks: Aby Watson - Stimprovisation

Stimming is a practice of repetitive movements, behaviours, and/or vocalisations to self-soothe, regulate, or stimulate to bring oneself into balance. We all stim, but for neurodivergent people who process the senses differently, stimming is particularly important for wellbeing.

Stimprovisation is a practice of sensory-seeking improvisation, discovered and coined by Aby during her doctoral research. Developed as a somatic practice for neurodivergent people, Stimprovisation acts to liberate neurodivergent embodiments through a choreographic practice of ‘unmasking’.

In this playful workshop, neuroqueer choreographer Aby Watson shares her process of stimprovisation: sensory-seeking improvisation through practices of movement (stimdance), object (stimplements), and voice (sensinging), directed by the sensorial curiosity of the bodymind.

This workshop offers a practical introduction to stimprovising - you do not need performance experience to join us, only a willingness to play and explore!

Dr ABY WATSON is a neuroqueer artist, choreographer, performer, academic & activist based in Glasgow.

Aby’s work is polymorphic—shifting fluidly across contemporary performance and knowledge exchange. With special interests in neuroqueering, stimming, sensuality, and consciousness, her playful,stimulating choreographic sensibility explores non-neuronormative potentials through rhythm, repetition, ritual, and togetherness.

She works nationally and internationally, and has taken her work to Inter-University Centre for Dance Berlin, Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp, Southbank Centre, Sophiensaele, and Tramway, amongst others. Aby trained in Contemporary Performance Practice at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS), where she also earned a PhD in partnership with the University of St Andrews, ‘Disordering Dance: Neuroqueering a Choreographic Practice’, which explores non-neuronormative approaches to making and experiencing dance.

Aby founded the Scottish Neurodiverse Performance Network, an emergent organisation supporting neurodivergent creatives working with/in performance across Scotland.

Photo by Rudy Carlier

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