Babel Labs
A playground for artistic experimentation, investigation and training
Babel Labs 2026
a year for the movers
A year of dance,
choreography,
and physical theatre.
After 2 Sold Out Years of Babel Labs, we’re back with something new!
If you're a dancer curious about theatre, or a theatre-maker drawn to choreography - this year is for you.
In 2026, we're diving into the meeting points, sticky bits and exploring the space where physical theatre and dance collide.
We’re inviting you to deepen your tools, sharpen your process, and reimagine how you make work with others.
Over four powerful weekends, we'll dive into the techniques, questions, and practices that live at the intersection of these forms.
Babel Labs are for artists who want to deepen their practice, expand their toolkit, and be part of a bold, generous community of makers.
Come to one, or save £80 and join us for the whole series.
Each Lab is £120 or join our Core Lab Community and access all labs.
All Labs are 1pm - 6pm for 2 days with Babel’s Associate Director Valerie Ebuwa and our Artistic Director Joseph Lynch.
Here’s what’s coming:
Lab 1: Moving Image
7th & 8th March
Creating physical work from visual starting points
Learn how to create evocative physical scores drawing on contemporary dance and physical theatre. Discover how to start the creation process and develop strong movement material from visual starting points unlocking new choreographic/ devising pathways.
Lab 2: Solo Making
6th & 7th June
Building work for and on your own body
A deep dive into the art of making solo performance. Whether you're creating a solo dance piece or a one-person show, discover frameworks for structure, dramaturgical thinking, and staying connected to yourself.
This Lab gives you tools to structure solo work with clarity and confidence.
Learn how to hold your own attention, make bold choices, and craft a solo that feels complete, even when you're the only one in the room.
Lab 3: Music as Collaborator
1st & 2nd August
Creating with and against sound
Move beyond "dancing to music." Explore rhythm, silence, tension, and how sound can become a creative collaborator - not just accompaniment. Explore how sound can support your narrative and devising, how to use music to create and learn how to listen deeper and learn how to talk about. music in a way you feel comfortable.
This Lab is for anyone who's ever felt intimidated by "music talk" or unsure how to articulate what they hear. You'll leave with new language, listening skills, and a deeper confidence in how you work with sound, whether you're choreographing, devising, dancing or directing.
Lab 4: Choreography & Composition
3rd & 4th October
Creating for Ensembles
This Lab is about working with bodies in space - yours and others. Whether guiding ensembles or crafting physical scenes, you'll discover how to shape movement for groups while honouring each person's artistry.
Whether you're working with two people or twenty, this Lab gives you practical frameworks for composition, spatial awareness, and collaborative creation. Learn how to communicate your vision clearly, work with different bodies and abilities, and make physical work that serves both the story and the performers - whether you call it choreography, staging, or something in between.
Artist Support Payment Plan for Babel Labs
Training should not be reserved for the people who can afford a big one-off payment.
The Artist Support Payment Plan is our way of making the Babel Labs 2026 Core Lab Community more accessible, and a little less stressful on your nervous system and your bank account.
Instead of paying £400 upfront, you can spread the cost across the year.
What you get (Core Lab Community 2026)
When you join the Core Lab Community, you are not just booking workshops. You are stepping into a year of practice, support, and momentum, at the meeting point of dance and theatre.
You will receive:
All four Babel Labs in 2026 (four powerful weekends across the year)
Private post-Lab gatherings with Valerie and Joseph
Ongoing feedback and creative dialogue throughout the year
Early access to other Babel projects and workshops
A small, sustained community of artists growing together (Core Lab Community places are limited to 10)
Babel Labs 2026 is designed for dancers who are curious about theatre, theatre-makers drawn to choreography, solo makers building work, and anyone making at the intersection of movement and storytelling.
How the payment plan works
£40 per month
10 monthly payments
Total: £400
You get the full Core Lab Community experience, just with the cost spread out.
This option is here for artists who:
have a lower income
are freelance and managing uncertainty
want to commit to their practice without putting themselves under financial pressure
There is no catch here, or qualifier. It is simply a support structure for those who wish to use it.
Who you will be training with
Babel Labs 2026 is led by:
Valerie Uchechukwu Ebuwa (international dancer, choreographer, activist, and Babel Associate Director)
Joseph Lynch (award-winning theatre director, movement director, teacher, creative coach, and Artistic Director of Babel Theatre)
Over four weekends, you will explore techniques, questions, and practices that live where dance and theatre collide, and build a stronger toolkit for making work that feels alive, specific, and yours.
A note on accessibility (and permission)
If money is the thing that usually stops you from saying yes, this is our way of giving you permission to do it differently.
As a small organisation we support hundreds of artists every year and we passionately believe you do not need to “earn” access to high-quality training by burning yourself out first.
If you are curious, brave, and ready to experiment, you belong here.
Ready to join?
Choose the Artist Support Payment Plan at checkout to secure your place in the Core Lab Community.
If you want to check anything before committing, you can email Joseph at hello@babeltheatre.co.uk.
Core Lab
Join the
Community
Want to go deeper with us this year?
Join all four Babel Labs and become part of the year-long Core Lab Community, a sustained creative practice alongside dancers, theatre-makers, and bold experimenters.
This is an invitation to build an ongoing relationship with the work, the process, our team and your peers - the people shaping where dance and theatre meet.
As a Core Lab Participant, you’ll:
Get all four Babel Labs for £400 (save £80 - payment plans available)
Join private post-Lab gatherings with Valerie and Joseph to reflect, share insights, and deepen your learning
Receive ongoing feedback and creative dialogue throughout the year
Get early access to sharings, performances, and Babel projects
Help shape future Labs and be part of our evolving methodology
Build a sustained, year-long connection with artists committed to the same questions you are
This is for artists ready to commit - to the work, to the practice, and to each other.
Your chance to grow alongside us, and be part of something bigger.
Limited spaces available
Lab Team
Valerie Ebuwa
Choreographer, Dancer, Visual Artist Activist, Writer, Babel Associate DIrector
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Valerie Uchechukwu Ebuwa is a dancer, choreographer, activist, writer, and Babel Associate Director based in London. She trained at Lewisham College and holds a BA (Hons) from London Contemporary Dance School. With over 10 years of professional experience, Valerie has worked with leading companies including Clod Ensemble (as a supported artist), Vincent Dance Theatre, Protein Dance, and internationally touring artists including Jamie xx, Marina Abramović, FKA Twigs, Kylie Minogue, and Solange.
As a maker, Valerie created ValUE, a groundbreaking multimedia project exploring the history of the Black female body, which premiered at Siobhan Davies Studio and became the most attended event in the building's history, reaching over 10,000 people across six months. She has been commissioned by Sadler's Wells for a new work and received successful funding from Arts Council England. Her work has been featured in Crack, i-D, Glass, and Stylist magazines, and she writes for I Am Hip-Hop magazine.
Joseph Lynch
Movement Director, Teacher Creative Coach, Babel Artistic Director
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Joseph Lynch is Artistic Director and CEO of award-winning Babel Theatre, movement director, teacher, and creative coach. He holds a First-Class BA (Hons) in Physical Theatre from East 15 Acting School and an MA in Movement: Directing and Teaching from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (Distinction). Babel's productions have been programmed at PUSH Festival, INCOMING Festival, and The Guardian's 'A Nation's Theatre', representing the best of UK theatre.
Joseph has worked with leading organizations including the Barbican, BBC, Complicité, David Glass Ensemble, HOME, National Children's Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra, and Tamasha Theatre. He has taught at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Central Saint Martins, East 15 Acting School, University of Arts London, and Manchester Metropolitan University. He is a Fellow of Future Connected and an Associate Artist with David Glass Ensemble, with extensive training in Biomechanics, ensemble devising, and contemporary movement practices.
More info and FAQ’s
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This year, Artistic Director Joseph Lynch and Associate Director Valerie Uchechukwu Ebuwa will lead four in-depth weekend Labs, each focused on a core practice at the intersection of dance and theatre.
These Labs are your opportunity to train, experiment, and grow as a choreographer, maker, or performer, within a bold, generous community of artists.
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Babel Labs are our playground for performance training.
We welcome dancers, theatre makers, choreographers, physical theatre artists, solo makers, and creative practitioners who want to deepen their practice, expand their toolkit, and explore new ways of working at the intersection of dance and theatre.
If you're curious about where these worlds meet, ready to experiment, and want to grow alongside a bold community of makers, this is for you.
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You can attend a single Lab, or join us for the full journey across the year.
Lab 1: Moving Image
7th & 8th March
Lab 2: Solo Making
6th & 7th June
Lab 3: Music as Collaborator
1st & 2nd August
Lab 4: Choreography & Composition
3rd & 4th October
Each Lab is a two day deep dive into a core practice at the intersection of dance and theatre. Grounded in physical exploration, creative tools, and shared learning.
All Labs are 1pm - 6pm both daysTogether, the Labs build toward a methodology for making work where dance meets theatre.
Individual Lab: £120
All 4 Labs + Core Lab Community: £400 (save £80 - payment plans available)
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In the Lab space, we'll work physically, imaginatively, and collaboratively.
Deepen your understanding of choreographic craft
Explore the meeting points between dance and theatre
Build your toolkit for making solo and ensemble work
Develop your eye as a maker and your confidence as a choreographer
Share, reflect, and grow your practice alongside other artists
Each Lab is different. Each builds on the last.
Together, they offer a methodology for creating work at the intersection of dance and theatre.
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Babel means “the sound of many things.”
We are committed to building collaborative, inclusive spaces that amplify underrepresented voices. We regularly work with Black, global majority, working-class, neurodivergent, disabled, and LGBTQI+ artists, and we are always responsive to what you need to be fully present in the space.
Please note: Chisenhale Dance Space is currently not accessible via a lift. If this presents a barrier, email us—we want to find solutions where we can.
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You can join us as a Core Lab Community member across the full 2026 series and be part of a sustained creative practice alongside dancers, theatre-makers, and bold experimenters.
As a Core Lab Community member, you will:
Get all four Labs for £400 (save £80 — payment plans available)
Join private post-Lab gatherings with Valerie and Joseph to reflect, share insights, and deepen your learning
Receive ongoing feedback and creative dialogue throughout the year
Get early access to sharings, performances, and Babel projects
Help shape our evolving methodology and future Labs
Build a year-long connection with artists committed to the same questions you are
This is for artists ready to commit to the work, to the practice, and to each other.
If you have any questions or would like a chat about Babel Labs you can reach out to Joseph on hello@babeltheatre.co.uk