Kassichana Okene-Jameson
Contemporary Dance Artist, Choreographer & Movement Director
RESIDENCY
October 2023
LOCATION
Studio I + The Annex
THE PROJECT
ABOUT
FieldWorks Artist Residency — October 2023
Project: Yielding in Space
During October 2023, Kassichana undertook an artist residency at FieldWorks Dance, using Studio I and The Annex to develop Yielding in Space, an ongoing multidisciplinary research project exploring the physical and emotional impact of institutional racism.
Drawing on her experiences as a Black, mixed-race woman, Kassichana investigates how alienation, oppression and the need to navigate predominantly white spaces can manifest physically in the body.
Through movement research, text, voice and interviews, she explores the ways in which people adapt themselves to different environments: when they make themselves smaller, when they feel able to take up space, and what it means to feel supported and comfortable in their own bodies.
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About Yielding in Space
What happens to the way we move when we don't feel we belong?
Yielding in Space explores the relationship between the body and the spaces we inhabit, examining how social expectations, racial identity and experiences of exclusion can shape our physical presence.
The project considers the different meanings of yielding: making space for others, making ourselves smaller to fit in, releasing tension, or finding the freedom to occupy space on our own terms.
Through movement and interdisciplinary research, Kassichana explores how the body carries these experiences and how movement can become a means of questioning, understanding and transforming them.
​
About Yielding in Space
What happens to the way we move when we don't feel we belong?
Yielding in Space explores the relationship between the body and the spaces we inhabit, examining how social expectations, racial identity and experiences of exclusion can shape our physical presence.
The project considers the different meanings of yielding: making space for others, making ourselves smaller to fit in, releasing tension, or finding the freedom to occupy space on our own terms.
Through movement and interdisciplinary research, Kassichana explores how the body carries these experiences and how movement can become a means of questioning, understanding and transforming them.
​
Artistic Practice & Experience
Kassichana's professional experience spans contemporary dance performance, choreography and movement direction.
She graduated from Northern School of Contemporary Dance in 2017 and has worked with UK-based choreographers and companies including Extended Play, ACE Dance and Music and TRIBE.
In 2021, she performed with BODHI PROJECT Dance Company in Salzburg, touring works by choreographers Reut Shemesh and Adrienn Hód.
Her choreographic commissions include work for Sony Music, MORGAN and the BA (Hons) programme at Northern School of Contemporary Dance through TRIBE.
In 2022, she undertook a residency at Artsdepot, continuing her research into Yielding in Space.
Kassichana Okene-Jameson is a London-born contemporary dance artist and movement director whose practice explores the relationship between the body, identity, space and lived experience.
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A graduate of Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Kassichana has worked with a range of UK-based choreographers and companies, including Extended Play, ACE Dance and Music and TRIBE. She has also performed internationally with BODHI PROJECT Dance Company in Salzburg, touring works by choreographers Reut Shemesh and Adrienn Hód.
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Alongside her performance career, Kassichana develops her own choreographic practice, creating work informed by personal experience, social structures and the ways in which we inhabit and navigate the spaces around us.
Where Are They Now?
Since her residency at FieldWorks Dance in October 2023, Kassichana Okene-Jameson has continued to develop her career as a contemporary dance artist and performer, joining Scottish Dance Theatre as a company dancer.
She has performed in the company's repertoire, including work by Artistic Director Joan Clevillé, and was recently featured in the company's 40th anniversary programme. In November 2026, she performed in the company's double bill The Game of Life and Rotten Work.
Kassichana is also continuing to collaborate with independent choreographers and artists. In July 2026, she joined choreographer Seke Chimutengwende for an open rehearsal of On The Corner, a new work inspired by Miles Davis's landmark album.
Looking ahead, Kassichana is part of the original devising cast of Scottish Dance Theatre's Pirates!, scheduled to be presented at The Place in London in May 2027.
Her continuing work across company performance, independent collaboration and choreography reflects the breadth of her artistic practice since her time at FieldWorks.