Hi, this is Marguerite, AXIS Dance Company’s winter 2011 intern excitedly reporting after a little over a week’s involvement! I am delighted to intern with this premiere integrated dance company. Having long been involved in the lives of people with disabilities and special needs, the concept and practice of integration had been both a part of my professional and personal life. Then I developed a disability.
Developing a disability further heightened my dedication towards the practice of integration. In recent years this commitment crossed over into the dance realm. I became an avid contact dancer and started studying various forms of technique. I started experiencing learning challenges. As a dancer, I had to find ways to adjust. It has not been easy as my needs are hidden. In response, I started researching, developing, facilitating and promoting movement and arts educational programs that looked at unique needs, starting with my own. So began my integrated dance adventure.
When given the chance to spend quality professional time with AXIS Dance Company, I jumped! It is such a great opportunity to look more in-depth at the inner workings and logistics of creating an integrated dance and dance education company that is both sensitive to the needs of dancers with physical disabilities as well as highly professional. It is also wonderful to have an opportunity to give towards a cause I dearly support. I am particularly interested to learn the specific ‘how-to’s’ of creating such an amazing endeavor as I may wish to apply some of the same principles to my future professional life.
Stay tuned as my journey continues!
Marguerite
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Joe Goode on AXIS and their performance at GUSH!
by Joe Goode on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 12:34pm
Hello, my artistic people! I have put together a series. GUSH! Come and see Melecio do "29 Effeminate Gestures" and catch Ledoh's amazing "Color Me America" this weekend at Brava Theater Center!
What is GUSH?
GUSH is a theatrical impulse
GUSH is a gesture that is too lavish
GUSH is a statement that is too bold or truthful
GUSH is the unleashing of feeling
GUSH is a stand against the bland and the mediocre
GUSH is a desire to feel and be felt
When Raelle offered me the opportunity to curate a series of performances here at Brava I jumped at the chance. One of the stellar differences between the dance scene here and in other countries (notably South America and Europe) is that, here in the US, artists are rarely given the opportunity to champion other artists and to offer the kind of insight and context that we are so perfectly equipped to provide.
So I dove in by choosing this topic, GUSH. I wanted the series to be a celebration of a kind of dance theater that is frankly emotional, that acknowledges the interior life in all of its glorious tumult and wisdom.
One of the benefits of reaching the dubious position of elder artist in the Bay Area dance scene is that I can nudge and wink at my dear faithful audience and say, “Take a look at this.”
LEDOH and SALT FARM
Ledoh is an original. It has been a pleasure to get to know him a little bit through this process. He speaks from the heart. He says things like,
”I don’t want to talk about art as though it were something separate from daily life. This is a very western concept. In my country of origin (Burma) we don’t think this way. We believe art is in every moment, not just something made by experts for commercial consumption.”
This ethos gets reinforced when he talks about how he believes the real gift of performing is in how one must fully inhabit and bring attention to the body. He believes that being solely and intimately focused on the body is a way of finding the truth of a moment.
“Truth has no opposition. If I can discover my real interest or engagement in a simple action then I am tapping into the simple truth of my body and that is something universal, something that can be shared.”
Clearly, this attention to the body and its experience has paid off. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Rachel Howard says:
“… the heart of "Color Me America" is in the movement. Ledoh, born in Burma, is trained in butoh, that apocalyptic post- World War II form where focused physical intention is all, where the performer's roiling facial expressions expose the emotional inauthenticity of our typical existence. …It speaks to our most intense emotional experiences because of the care Ledoh has taken in shaping every hunch of his shoulders and spiderlike curve of his fingers, the thought he's invested in the motivation of every motion. In his entrancing performance, the political (is) universal.”
Stay tuned for his newest work entitled “Suicide Barrier: Secure in our Illusion”. The barrier refers to the Golden Gate Bridge and the controversy over how to stem the flow of jumpers who choose this sensational path to life’s end. It promises to be another poignant and exciting work.
AXIS DANCE
My history with Axis is a fairly long one. I have made two pieces for them over the years and our last venture together “the beauty that was mine/ through the middle without stopping” (which is on tonight’s program) won an Isodora Duncan Dance Award for Choreography. Still, when I first met them in their studio I was intimidated. How to make a meaningful work with dancers in wheelchairs, some of whom have very restricted mobility and other dancers who are beautifully trained modern dancers? What was the common thread?
What I discovered is that the thread is perhaps the limitations themselves.
Every human body has limitations and these limitations will inevitably grow and become a larger part of who we are and how we define ourselves. So can we look into these limitations and start to see them as part of the interest, part of the beautiful individuality of the body? And what thrilled me in the course of the rehearsal process was how my expectations were dismantled. I found surprising strength and determination in the body where I might have expected weakness. And the company themselves were so full of wry humor about who they were and what there bodies represented to them.
Which brought me to another fascinating aspect of this work - it directly confronts some of the aversion that society feels toward illness or difference. These dancing bodies are a political statement. Artistic Director Judy Smith says,
“We got together to do art… to make dance. We realized along the way that what we were doing had a sociopolitical impact. Even though it’s not what we set out to do, it’s just there.”
And it’s there in a beautiful way that has attracted some of the most accomplished choreographers working in the field today-Ann Carlson, David Dorfman, Bill T. Jones. And while I think we are all initially drawn to the challenge of making this kind of work, and perhaps to its importance as a statement about otherness, we eventually come to understand the lesson of the body that it has to teach. Again Judy Smith-
“The idea is to show a range of ability. I don’t want everyone to be a “supercrip”.
I want to have people in chairs and people with prosthetics and people who are whizzing around in their “able” bodies. I want to show virtuosity and beauty, yes, but in its entire range.”
And the result is what Axis calls “physically integrated dance”. To my mind, this is one of the most important companies working in the Bay Area today. Not only are they committed to artistic excellence, but they are also offering a fresh perspective on what it means to be human.
-Joe Goode
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Live to Dance!
by Judith Smith
In late October, Rodney, Janet, Sonsheree, Alice, Sebastian and I flew down and back to Burbank for an invitation only audition for Paula’s new show Live to Dance. They found us via the internet and contacted me. I really wasn’t convinced it was the right thing for us to do for many reasons. But after many calls back and forth with casting directors and producers, they convinced me that we needed to do this.
First, Son and I got together to map our piece, 90 seconds total! I called it our 90second aim for fame. We decided since partnering is a definite strong point that we do a series of duets drawn from our favorite moves out of pieces by Sonya Delwaide, David Dorfman, Joe Goode, Alex Ketley and AXIS. We used music composed by Michael Wall and Albert Mathias for David Dorfman’s piece. I contacted all the choreographers to let them know what we were up to and to get their permission. We wore costumes from Vessel—black and sparkly. I’m still finding glitter everywhere...
We got together for three brief rehearsals, sketched out our piece, video’d it, made adjustments and showed it to Mollie, Annika, Christy and Kat. They were quite entertained by the three ring circus atmosphere!
We arrived on time at Burbank, found our shuttles and off we went to Dodger Stadium—luckily no rain. It was a scene. We were first sent to a tent w/ a rubber floor, some water, porta potties and lots of dancers everywhere. We put on costumes and did make up. Our few minute wait turned into 70 min. We did a ton of paperwork and ‘shortly’ after were whisked to the warm up/interview tent. Warmer, carpeted and yes, full of dancers and cameras, lots. We were filmed warming up and got set up to be interviewed.
But no, they needed us in the performance tent so off we went! We were crammed in this smaller tent with - you guessed it—lots of dancers, lots of crew, a monitor for the stage action and the host Andrew Gundsburg. We watched on the monitor as a very young ballerina performed and her parents watched. Then, we got instructed about what was going to happen.
We were assembled, interviewed by Andrew and then asked to look at the ramp to the stage—it was steep! Then they gave us a countdown and up the ramp and onto the stage we went. The ‘stage’ was round, plexiglass with a large star in the center that lit up. We got into places, our music started and we did our 90 seconds w/ the audience cheering thru most of it. The wheelchairs slid on the surface and the feet stuck so it was ‘interesting.’ Iva, our AXIS tour assistant said we were all beaming through it and when they panned to the panel of experts, Paula, Travis Payne, who worked on Michael Jackson's "This Is It," and former Pussycat Dolls singer-dancer Kimberly Wyatt were sitting with there jaws dropped. Anyway, we managed to not kill each other and actually had a blast. We got a standing ovation from audience and panel.
We were instructed to assemble on the star—which was all lit up-- and I was given the microphone. There was this weird, awkward long pause. Paula had turned around to compose herself—she was in tears and Travis was wiping his eyes. Paula turned back around and they stared at us, we stared at them for what felt like forever. I finally said ’are we supposed to say something?’ and they all hit their buttons and three stars lit up. So, we went crazy—we were told to celebrate if we got stars. Then, they all said some great things and asked us a few questions.
Paula ‘this is not about disability, it’s about A+ ability.’ ‘I know you’re a professional contemporary company but your work translated to the pop culture beautifully.’ She also said she was honored to show such innovative dance on her show and asked about the choreography. So, I got to talk about the structure of the piece and who the choreographers are.
Travis said he prided himself on knowing what was going on in dance but he had no idea. He also said we were on our way to half a million dollars.
Kimberly said she loved how the choreography started out strong and built and built.
That’s about all I remember of the comments.
We were rushed back to interview tent to be interviewed. Every AXIS dancer was so articulate and lovely. Then we rushed to our shuttles—in costume and make up— and off to the airport we went.
Sadly we weren’t chosen and you won’t be seeing us on Live to Dance but we’ll definitely be watching!
Warmly, Judy
Artistic Director
In late October, Rodney, Janet, Sonsheree, Alice, Sebastian and I flew down and back to Burbank for an invitation only audition for Paula’s new show Live to Dance. They found us via the internet and contacted me. I really wasn’t convinced it was the right thing for us to do for many reasons. But after many calls back and forth with casting directors and producers, they convinced me that we needed to do this.
First, Son and I got together to map our piece, 90 seconds total! I called it our 90second aim for fame. We decided since partnering is a definite strong point that we do a series of duets drawn from our favorite moves out of pieces by Sonya Delwaide, David Dorfman, Joe Goode, Alex Ketley and AXIS. We used music composed by Michael Wall and Albert Mathias for David Dorfman’s piece. I contacted all the choreographers to let them know what we were up to and to get their permission. We wore costumes from Vessel—black and sparkly. I’m still finding glitter everywhere...
We got together for three brief rehearsals, sketched out our piece, video’d it, made adjustments and showed it to Mollie, Annika, Christy and Kat. They were quite entertained by the three ring circus atmosphere!
We arrived on time at Burbank, found our shuttles and off we went to Dodger Stadium—luckily no rain. It was a scene. We were first sent to a tent w/ a rubber floor, some water, porta potties and lots of dancers everywhere. We put on costumes and did make up. Our few minute wait turned into 70 min. We did a ton of paperwork and ‘shortly’ after were whisked to the warm up/interview tent. Warmer, carpeted and yes, full of dancers and cameras, lots. We were filmed warming up and got set up to be interviewed.
But no, they needed us in the performance tent so off we went! We were crammed in this smaller tent with - you guessed it—lots of dancers, lots of crew, a monitor for the stage action and the host Andrew Gundsburg. We watched on the monitor as a very young ballerina performed and her parents watched. Then, we got instructed about what was going to happen.
We were assembled, interviewed by Andrew and then asked to look at the ramp to the stage—it was steep! Then they gave us a countdown and up the ramp and onto the stage we went. The ‘stage’ was round, plexiglass with a large star in the center that lit up. We got into places, our music started and we did our 90 seconds w/ the audience cheering thru most of it. The wheelchairs slid on the surface and the feet stuck so it was ‘interesting.’ Iva, our AXIS tour assistant said we were all beaming through it and when they panned to the panel of experts, Paula, Travis Payne, who worked on Michael Jackson's "This Is It," and former Pussycat Dolls singer-dancer Kimberly Wyatt were sitting with there jaws dropped. Anyway, we managed to not kill each other and actually had a blast. We got a standing ovation from audience and panel.
We were instructed to assemble on the star—which was all lit up-- and I was given the microphone. There was this weird, awkward long pause. Paula had turned around to compose herself—she was in tears and Travis was wiping his eyes. Paula turned back around and they stared at us, we stared at them for what felt like forever. I finally said ’are we supposed to say something?’ and they all hit their buttons and three stars lit up. So, we went crazy—we were told to celebrate if we got stars. Then, they all said some great things and asked us a few questions.
Paula ‘this is not about disability, it’s about A+ ability.’ ‘I know you’re a professional contemporary company but your work translated to the pop culture beautifully.’ She also said she was honored to show such innovative dance on her show and asked about the choreography. So, I got to talk about the structure of the piece and who the choreographers are.
Travis said he prided himself on knowing what was going on in dance but he had no idea. He also said we were on our way to half a million dollars.
Kimberly said she loved how the choreography started out strong and built and built.
That’s about all I remember of the comments.
We were rushed back to interview tent to be interviewed. Every AXIS dancer was so articulate and lovely. Then we rushed to our shuttles—in costume and make up— and off to the airport we went.
Sadly we weren’t chosen and you won’t be seeing us on Live to Dance but we’ll definitely be watching!
Warmly, Judy
Artistic Director
Monday, January 3, 2011
Odd Encounters
By Alice Sheppard (of AXIS)
The performances are over, but somehow the collaboration between AXIS, inkBoat, Joan and Dohee has not left my life. I still have an acute muscle memory for some of the newer moves and positions. Some movements have become expressions in my daily life. ODD has changed my understanding of performance: I am accustomed to talking about process as the way in which we make pieces. Then, there’s the actual performance. Dancing before an audience starts a new process, of development and growth within the piece. I am not used to that growth infusing my off-stage out-of-studio life.
Then again, if any piece were to resonate deeply in my body, it would have been ODD. When I saw the pictures, the terrain of bodies and ground were familiar. They were provocative realizations of a landscape I had first encountered studying Old Norse-Icelandic language and literature. It is not surprising to me that I still find myself singing excerpts of Joan and Dohee’s music; their collaboration was not an accompaniment to the movement; it was as essential an element of our performative landscape as the movement. I would listen to them, waiting, accelerating, slowing, hovering, driving until somehow, silently, we mutually recognized that we were ready to take the next step together. I feel their music rising sometimes as I stretch out a hand; I smile at myself. The performance is over, but the piece has not yet gone.
I am glad there’s something left. Many of the creative processes I have been in have required improvisation; we have improvised movement and I have come to understand it as the movement takes root in my body. This time, we often had a known concept to work from -- realize bird, rock, find cloud in your movement. I would often feel that I would never succeed. I could create movement, but I was not always convinced that I could communicate. Shinichi would say that these were lifelong endeavours--processes--but I could feel the approaching date of performance. I did not know how I would actually do what I was supposed to.
As the performances drew near, I felt unready to move from “exploration” to “performance.” I had not been able to find the kind of surety that I call “rehearsal:” For a piece that started so much with the terrain of the paintings, I wanted more time to find personal ground. At the same time, though, I wanted to do this thing -- to discover what else I had to learn from this complicated piece. My own learning curve was steep, but I also felt that with each performance the work revealed a different aspect of itself. There were different questions; I learned to feel OK with not having any answers. Now, several weeks later, I wish more than anything I could have been in the audience.
The performances are over, but somehow the collaboration between AXIS, inkBoat, Joan and Dohee has not left my life. I still have an acute muscle memory for some of the newer moves and positions. Some movements have become expressions in my daily life. ODD has changed my understanding of performance: I am accustomed to talking about process as the way in which we make pieces. Then, there’s the actual performance. Dancing before an audience starts a new process, of development and growth within the piece. I am not used to that growth infusing my off-stage out-of-studio life.
Then again, if any piece were to resonate deeply in my body, it would have been ODD. When I saw the pictures, the terrain of bodies and ground were familiar. They were provocative realizations of a landscape I had first encountered studying Old Norse-Icelandic language and literature. It is not surprising to me that I still find myself singing excerpts of Joan and Dohee’s music; their collaboration was not an accompaniment to the movement; it was as essential an element of our performative landscape as the movement. I would listen to them, waiting, accelerating, slowing, hovering, driving until somehow, silently, we mutually recognized that we were ready to take the next step together. I feel their music rising sometimes as I stretch out a hand; I smile at myself. The performance is over, but the piece has not yet gone.
I am glad there’s something left. Many of the creative processes I have been in have required improvisation; we have improvised movement and I have come to understand it as the movement takes root in my body. This time, we often had a known concept to work from -- realize bird, rock, find cloud in your movement. I would often feel that I would never succeed. I could create movement, but I was not always convinced that I could communicate. Shinichi would say that these were lifelong endeavours--processes--but I could feel the approaching date of performance. I did not know how I would actually do what I was supposed to.
As the performances drew near, I felt unready to move from “exploration” to “performance.” I had not been able to find the kind of surety that I call “rehearsal:” For a piece that started so much with the terrain of the paintings, I wanted more time to find personal ground. At the same time, though, I wanted to do this thing -- to discover what else I had to learn from this complicated piece. My own learning curve was steep, but I also felt that with each performance the work revealed a different aspect of itself. There were different questions; I learned to feel OK with not having any answers. Now, several weeks later, I wish more than anything I could have been in the audience.
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