Dance Anyhwere!

Sonsheree Giles and Rodney Bell, dancers part of the Axis Dance Company, perform “To Color Me Different” choreographed by Alex Keltley at the SFMoma on Friday March 18, 2011. Sasha Tivetsky / staff photographer

Posted on March 20, 2011 | GoldenGateXpress
By Chase S. Kmec

A true entertainer is in no need of fancy footwork to achieve a memorable performance.

On Friday afternoon, performers across the world celebrated “Dance Anywhere,” a simultaneous, unplanned public performance. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art hosted a performance of two dancers from AXIS Dance Company in commemoration of the day.

AXIS, an Oakland-based nonprofit founded in 1987, features physically disabled and able-bodied performers who specialize in physically integrated dance. This form of contemporary dance emphasizes the role of the disabled performer while also challenging people’s perceptions of the human body and the traditional notion of dancing.

“I was interested in challenging stereotypes when I joined AXIS,” said Sonsherée Giles, a dancer and associate director of AXIS. “We help educate people with our performances. It’s not for the weak of mind and it’s definitely unique.”

Giles, who has been with AXIS since 2005, often performs with Rodney Bell, who is paraplegic.

“Dancing in public spaces is harmonic in a meditative way,” Bell said. “But it can also be daring and edgy.”

Bell is originally from Te Kuiti, New Zealand and played basketball for the country’s Paralympic team from 1999 to 2006.

In the spirit of Dance Anywhere’s “no boundaries” philosophy, Giles and Bell performed “To Color Me Different” to onlookers in the SFMOMA lobby.

Bell was not confined to sitting. At times, he would leave his wheelchair and crawl across the museum floor, sometimes embracing his partner. Other times he would make use of the wheelchair, lifting it and utilizing his upper body strength, to perform an intricate pose. In turn, Giles would grab her partner and, while performing traditional dance, often used Bell’s back as a springboard to emphasize her flexibility with Bell wheeling about–all done in the name of artistic expression.

The performance was without any musical or audio accompaniment.

While many SFMOMA patrons milled about the lobby, others encircled the two performers, studying their physicality.

“For the observer, they’re doing their thing and a group of people become their backdrop,” said Ron Saunders, a photographer and art enthusiast. “I find it interesting how people don’t become aware of activity happening in their immediate area.”

In regards to the day itself, 12 p.m. marked a flurry of spontaneous performances courtesy of the Dance Anywhere organization.

Dance Anywhere arranged for the AXIS performance to perform at SFMOMA but many other individuals and organizations throughout the world also participated in the annual spontaneous performances.

“People can just do whatever they want,” said Dance Anywhere media director Janina Angel Beth. “Some people dance on the street, some are spontaneous, others are conceptual.”

While other spontaneous dancing events occurred throughout the Bay Area and in San Francisco–including a performance at United Nations Plaza- it was AXIS who captivated many within SFMOMA because of its alternative take of dance.

“It’s not something that happens all the time,” Saunders said. “Using that wheelchair as an extension of his body is truly amazing and very powerful.”

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New Work In on Conventional Places

Hello All - Happy 2011 - it feels like we’re certainly well into the New Year. Joe Goode’s GUSH Festival at Brava was a great way to jump start the year. Joe curated a fabulous program and we were genuinely humbled not only to share the stage with him, but by a comment from his program notes: “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.”

This is so validating and gives us a bunch of energy for the great projects we’ve planned for 2011. For the first part of the year we’re focusing on OutBound our first ever Outdoor Performance Season! OutBound consists of two distinct collaborations. The first work, find way to fall II, will take place at Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in June. Choreographed by AXIS’ Associate Director Sonsherée Giles, this will be a site-specific work featuring AXIS dancers and a huge community cast. It was a hit last year and this year we’ll be exploring different places to dance in the Gardens. The second work, The Dislocation Express, is our long awaited collaboration with Dandelion Dancetheater, directed by Eric Kupers and Kimiko Guthrie. This performance work will take place at or near various BART stations throughout the Bay Area in July. Music will be performed live, composed collaboratively by members of the ensemble and played on instruments, voices and the sounds of wheelchairs, crutches, prostheses, and more.

Outdoor performances in public places provide exposure to large numbers of ’accidental audiences’ that may have never seen AXIS, or anything like us for that matter. OutBound performances will be free and open to the public and will give us an opportunity to give back to the community. We’re really excited about adding something new and different to our season. Watch for details and come out and enjoy AXIS up close and personal in the out of doors this Spring and Summer.

Warmly, Judy

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Marguerite - AXIS' winter intern

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

Welcome to our blog!

Hello AXIS fans, dancers, staff, board and all around groupies. This is our blog. We will be posting information about our newest projects here.

Today was our first rehearsal with the fabulous choreographer Shinichi Iova-Koga of Inkboat and cellist Joan Jeanrenaud on our latest collaboration called ODD based on the paintings of Iceland-based contemporary painter Odd Nedrum. In the paintings of Odd Nerdrum, survival on bare land pervades.

We'll be working towards the creation of a new piece that is being co-presented by ODC in San Francisco and will premiere there the weekend of November 5-7th followed by a performance at the Malonga Casquelourd Center in Oakland November 12-14th . We hope you follow the creation process of this exciting new piece by following this blog and the posts of all the amazing collaborators.

(photo by Andrea Basile 2009)