People talk about us

Wonder full blog post on "feminists with disabilities" about AXIS' performance at Yerba Buena Gardens.

http://disabledfeminists.com/2010/06/30/creative-work-axis-dance-company/

The whole dance had a very organic, flowing feel, and I loved watching all of these individuals and bodies moving in all kinds of interesting and different ways.

I am not a modern dance critic, or particularly well versed in dance in general. Usually I look at things and go ‘oooh that’s nice’ or ‘hrm.’ I really loved the AXIS piece, though. I felt like it really played to the strengths of the dancers as individuals, highlighting them as human beings rather than presenting them as an amorphous mass of interchangeable people, which is sometimes how I feel with highly regimented choreography where everyone moves in precisely the same way. The piece had character and it sparked some thoughts in me about interconnectivity, interdependence, and community.

AXIS @ Yerba Buena

pictures by Gayle Roberts































This past Saturday I has the opportunity to dance with AXIS along with company dancers and community members. I hope that YOU made it to the performance! And if you want to see video or more photos by Gayle Roberts, check out our Facebook group page.

If you stopped by the Yerba Buena Gardens during the past few weeks you might have been surprised to stumble upon our talented group of movers, but it’s just AXIS rehearsing. Something you won’t find in a typical dancer’s bag- sunscreen! It was so much fun to dance in the warm sun by the magnificent waterfalls. It was a beautiful piece, choreographed by our own Sonsheree Giles. Just the atmosphere was wonderful and I immediately felt comfortable with this awesome, friendly group of dancers. We were all very close by the end, and shared some beautiful moments during the rehearsal/performance process.

It was quite an amazing experience! The choreography was structured improvisation or task-based movement. Many dance forms are codified where they have a set vocabulary of steps. In improvisation there is guidance, where a choreographer might give you instructions to move only right and left, then forward and back. However, they might not give you specific steps, but allow you to create your own movements.

It requires you to be present and listen to your body as well as the others dancing with you. This can mean greater freedom in self-expression within a unified group and turns differences between individuals into strengths. I think that this left more room for the piece to grow organically and for personal inspiration/creativity which made the piece so powerful and beautiful.

Dance Class

If you're wondering who keeps popping up on the AXIS blog is, my name is Cayenne Ross and I am a senior dance major, business minor at Skidmore College in New York. I'm here in California interning with AXIS Dance Company for the summer and it's been absolutely amazing so far! I have some experience with dance and teaching movement to adults with developmental disabilities, and I am learning so much more every day.


So,on to the really cool stuff - I attended another Teens Dance Class last afternoon and took photos of these beautiful dancers-check it out! I also got to meet two of the company dancers who taught this class, Rodney and Janet. They were so nice and such talented artists! Soon I will be attending rehearsal for our upcoming show at Yerba Buena Gardens Festival on Saturday June 26 @ 1, 1:50, and 2:40 PM. Sonsherée, another wonderful dancer whom I met today, has choreographed a new site-specific piece involving local our dancers as well as local community members. So keep watching for new posts, and its free so be sure to come out next Saturday!

Murderball, Hiking, Dancing, Singing - Bonnie does it all!

From: Jewish quadriplegic inducted into Sports Hall of Fame for work in quad rugby and wheelchair dance | j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California

Try to keep up with Dancer and Founding Member Bonnie Lewkowicz and you’d just be spinning your wheels.

Lewkowicz, 53, is quadriplegic, in a wheelchair since age 15 when she was injured in an accident on an all-terrain vehicle. That never stopped her from pursuing her passions. All of them. Now, the Berkeley resident’s pioneering efforts in dance for the disabled and in murderball (also called quad rugby) are being recognized by the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Northern California. The induction ceremony took place at a gala Sunday, June 13 at San Francisco’s Four Seasons Hotel.



Lewkowicz is the first quad athlete inducted into the Bay Area institution. “She overcame adversity, and that’s part of our cause,” says Executive Director Gary Wiener. “She’s a good representative of the Jewish community. I think her perseverance is admirable.” She first heard about the Hall of Fame honor when a friend who helped out with her old quad rugby team called to say he planned to nominate her. “He asked if I would be interested,” Lewkowicz remembers, “and I said, ‘what’s not to be interested?’”

The award honors her involvement in both dance and murderball, a sport popularized in the 2005 Oscar-nominated documentary of the same name. In 1988, Lewkowicz founded both the California Quad Rugby League and her championship team, Quadzilla, a co-ed squad still talked about with reverence among fans. But quad rugby isn’t her only way to play.

For more than 20 years, Lewkowicz has also been a principal dancer with AXIS, a company she helped found that features disabled and able-bodied dancers performing together in original modern dance pieces. Lewkowicz soon will launch a website detailing disabled access at state beaches, parks and trails. That’s on top of her “Wheelchair Rider’s Guide: San Francisco Bay and Nearby Coast,” published in 2006, and “Access San Francisco,” a city guide for disabled visitors. All of Lewkowicz’s activities can be filed under her lifelong adherence to Jewish ethics, which led her to pursue projects that help others. “I would have a hard time thinking of myself as anything other than Jewish,” she says. “Jewish values and culture are very important to my life, not just food to eat, but to share.”

read more Source: Jweekly.com "Heart of a champion: Wheelchair doesn’t stop quadriplegic athlete" by Dan Pine, staff writer

Just another day in the office

Just another day in the office, with some of us on exercise balls going about our secret missions as AXIS behind the scenes operations. I couldn't help instantly falling in love with AXIS and the amazing work they do here promoting creativity and collaboration!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet a very cool person named Kaya and observe an AXIS dance class. (**keep your eyes posted for upcoming photos!) The enthusiastic and outgoing Kaya takes dance with AXIS and sometimes helps with the younger class. Following the dancers into the studio, I watched as they began seated with small motions and movement games to warm up. By the end it was quite amazing to watch the entire class speeding through the space, slowing, then accelerating and idling again, pausing to create beautiful suspended shapes. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings at AXIS Dance Company! - Cayenne

Through an Intern's Eyes

About 3 times a year our small AXIS staff is temporarily extended when we welcome a new intern in our small office in Oakland. This Summer we are excited to have Cayenne Ross joining our team. Cayenne is a Bachelor of Arts candidate at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY (Dance Major). We've asked her to blog about her experiences interning with AXIS and hope you are excited to read about the company seen through Cayenne's eyes. - Annika