HYCIDE XPANSE, where wellness isn’t an add-on to creative culture—it’s the foundation.
Imagine your feet planted firmly on your yoga mat, breathing yourself through your best rendition of warrior pose. Surrounded by a few strangers but mostly familiar faces, the yoga instructor encourages you to focus on a spot on the wall as you hold the position for one more good breath. Somewhere between the stretch of the pose and the rhythm of collective exhales, you lose yourself inside of one of the most breathtaking photographs you’ve ever seen. The outcome, relaxation.
On October 11, HYCIDE XPANSE presented THE ARTIST’S ROLE [self-care sessions], the space’s inaugural wellness event. Akintola Hanif asked the question most creative spaces ignore: What happens when we stop performing long enough to heal?
A room full of Newark’s artists and community members chose rest over hustle for one afternoon.
Catherine Rogers led a seated yoga class for elders and attendees with limited mobility, while Nyota David led a traditional flow for all levels. Vision became part of the breath work. “To be in an artistic space, in a gallery, amongst creative minds, just revitalizes and encourages wellness within one’s own self, which spreads out to the family and the community,” David said.
ByHaze, the architect of holistic sound, guided an acoustic, meditative sound bath using crystal quartz bowls tuned to specific chakras. Each bowl corresponded to a note—C for the root chakra, F for the heart, B minor for the crown. “Sound is very healing,” ByHaze said. “I’m creating space with sound to allow people access to the healing they have within themselves.”
He called it a sonic massage. Participants described it as being cradled by sound.
Dane, owner of ProBody Massage, offered complimentary sessions. He’s been partnering with HYCIDE founder Akintola since 2010, bringing therapeutic touch to communities who may not have access to alternative healing modalities.
“We’re not masseuses. We’re body workers, healers, touch therapists,” Dane said. Post-COVID, he’s noticed an increase in what he calls “touch starvation.” Using the internet, we are more connected than ever before, but somehow the distance between us is increasing.
Poet Tehsuan Glover named what made the event different: “Spending time in the company of people who I know genuinely love me is healing. Spending time in the company of people who I know mean me no harm is healing.”
XPANSE wove wellness directly into its infrastructure. ByHaze said it plainly: “Having self-care sessions in an art gallery is so important because art is healing. Being in a space with Black wellness practitioners who are committed to the work is refreshing. We have everything we need within our community.”
After the yoga and massage sessions, the healing continued with delicious plant-based small bites by Garbondzo and performances by some of Newark’s finest wordsmiths. Seeing Tehshaun “Starski” Glover perform was like witnessing a masterclass in pace and poise. He shared a poem inspired by his mother that highlighted the complexities of truly knowing someone.
Backed by a live band, the soulful Euphony performed a mixture of original music and covers of R&B favorites like Jill Scott’s “A Long Walk.” Cyph Two closed the multi-sensory event with lyricism that fuses storytelling with a slew of literary devices over a bed of Jazz-inspired instrumentals. HYCIDE has a history of curating immersive performance sets that take the audience on a journey; THE ARTIST’S ROLE carried this tradition.
Newark’s Poet Laureate Margie ‘Mia X’ Johnson reflected on the responsibility of her new role. “The Poet Laureate is about being an advocate for literacy and for poetry. We’re living it in real time. So I’m just telling what’s happening.”
Wellness in creative spaces is the blueprint. HYCIDE XPANSE proved it works. The artists building Newark’s next chapter are doing it with intention and community care as the foundation.
HYCIDE XPANSE is offering five weeks of free gentle yoga and meditation classes facilitated by master teacher Nyota David. Offered over the next five Saturdays from 1-2 p.m. [10/25-11/22], classes will guide students through breath and movement to reduce stress, improve flexibility, and promote mental clarity. Yoga mats provided. Space is limited. SIGN UP HERE.
Renaissance Now is a West Ward Beans editorial series exploring how Black creative economies preserve legacy and build forward. Subscribe to Espresso for the next installment.
