ARTISTIC DIRECTOR'S REPORT - by Judith Smith 
Photo by Amy Snyder
As the official celebration of our 20th Anniversary year draws near, I¹ve had the opportunity to look back over two decades of work and attempt to put it all in perspective. This is just not as easy as it seems it should be! I truly believe that the creation, evolution and survival of this Company have been somewhat miraculous. What started as a brilliant idea of Thais Mazur, our founding artistic director and visionary leader for the first decade, has grown into a highly reputable contemporary repertory company that has put physically integrated dance solidly on the map of both the dance world and the disability world.
We've had our fair share of successes. We've had fair share of challenges. It seems that these go hand in hand with each other sometimes and it often feels like we¹re just breaking even on many levels. But several things have been constant and steady. The importance and relevance of both the artistic and education work we do. The incredible dancers that have brought their talent, passion and vision to AXIS. The community support that has been with us since the very beginning.
As AXIS enters our third decade please come along with us and continue to support us. Our community has always been and will continue to be of utmost importance to us. I¹d like to share some words that the very eloquent Bill T. Jones honored AXIS with in 1999 that I often refer back to for inspiration:
“Let us do something grand, just this once
Something small and important and un-American
Some fine thing will resemble a human hand and being merely a thing
Not needing a military band or an elegant forthcoming
But be in a defiant land of its own,
A real right thing.”
There is no more defiant land that I can think of than AXIS.
This poem is by a famous poet from the '50's S Frank O'Hara. I like that AXIS wants to grow artistically. They want the financial responsibility that comes with it. They want the headaches, the organizational, the institutional headache and they've invited me to be part of that process. I don't know what more I can say, other than I feel replenished having done it. I encourage you all to stay with these folks and do what you can because they are inviting you to a defiant land; I hope you support them.”
Warmly,
Judith Smith, Artistic Director
Reflections on 20 years of AXIS - M. Schirle
I rediscovered dance when walking became inconvenient: having progressed to the need for a wheelchair in 1983, I was overtaken by the sheer joy of mobility and literally danced my way through graduate school and beyond. However, this joy found its only true “ahh-ha” moment when I first saw AXIS perform in 1989. The venue was small and inadequate, but not so this mesmerizing, powerful duet between two very different bodies. It would be three years before I joined the Company, thus beginning one of the richest, most compelling decades of my life; now, twenty years after its inception, a few memories and reflections.
AXIS 101 I remember rushing to rehearsal after work, knowing I would get my second and third wind. I was thirsty for and enthralled by AXIS’ creative process: exploration of our individual movement vocabulary, improvisation, crafting. It was by necessity collaborative - we had no unified or shared vocabulary. I deeply respected the company members who had the skill and patience to direct these first pieces, as they often took several months to complete due to lack of rehearsal time. This determined process yielded AXIS’ early, innovative and signature works. I was relieved and thrilled to discover that many of the outside, commissioned choreographers worked in the same fashion, also somewhat out of necessity. They built upon and expanded dancers’ vocabulary, providing the Company with an amazing choreographic variety of award-winning work to greet the new century.
Politics, Disability and Dance Throughout AXIS’ first decade, it was not uncommon for us to spend rehearsal time discussing the impact of our work, often spurred by audience reactions. Having been conceived in a fresh era of identity politics and focus on diverse cultural narratives, AXIS was well aware of, and often contended with its inherent role as social change agent, and the possibility that every piece was potentially viewed first and solely as commentary on disability and society. If a dancer without a disability dances seductively with an empty manual wheelchair, are we implying that people with disabilities aren’t sexual beings? Can we allow a personal extension of our bodies – a cane, wheelchair, or prosthetic – to be used as a “mere” prop? The resolution of these concerns was always found at the cornerstone of intention, respect and high aesthetic values. While AXIS has remained cognizant of perceived meaning in its dances, time and maturity have freed the Company. Thus, we could play satire against sentimentality on the subject of love and dependency; push handles could be used to rush a dancer across the stage during hyper-speed piano trills; dancers who aren’t wheelchair users could dance and spar over, in and around one. I don’t know if there will ever truly be a “post-disability” era in the world of dance; but if so, AXIS will have led the way there.
Not-So-Terminal Uniqueness The unique composition of AXIS has made it both a beneficiary of, and subject to, its own success. Over the past eight years, AXIS has benefited from its efforts: young dancers from around the country and world have sought to become members. As further testament to the impact AXIS and other companies like it have had on the dance/theater landscape, AXIS dancers often find it easier to move on to other companies and projects. Keeping repertory alive has become a real issue, as so many dances are based on the idiosyncratic, individual and partnering vocabularies of (past) dancers. As a former dancer, I have loved passing along old repertory, helping a dancer to make a role one’s own. But the push, and rightly so, is toward creating new repertory for new, amazing bodies. I feel sadness for all the dances that may never be seen again live, or even on video. But then, while watching a performance, I see all the passion and dedication that has gone before. I see what I have come to expect from AXIS: flashing moments of physicality and transcendence, winking at me through space and time.
Note: M. Schirle danced with AXIS from 1992-2001. She remains active with the
company as a teacher in our Dance Access program, valuable advisor, and dear
friend.
Photos: AXIS Dance Company 1995. From left to right (back) Uli Schmitz, Thais Mazur, Stephanie McGlynn, David Russell, (front) Tim Dreher, Judith Smith, Bonnie Lewkowicz, Megan Schirle. Photo by Amy Snyder
AXIS in Helix 1992. From left to right, Nina Haft, Laura Rifkin, Uli Schmitz, Judith Smith & David Russell. Photo by Brenda Prager.
New Works are in the Works for AXIS
AXIS Dance Company is in the throes of celebrating our 20th Anniversary year! We only have a month to put the final touches on two premieres, one choreographed by Sonya Delwaide and the other by Alex Ketley. Needless to say, we’re hard at work in the studio and can’t wait to get these works on the stage in November!
Sonya’s new work A Room with No View is her fifth work for AXIS. This quartet is set to the eclectic, up-beat rhythms of the musical sensation Uakti, a Brazilian instrumental musical group known for using custom-made instruments. Sonya is known for her ”eclectic vocabulary, debonair mastery and soul stirring” work. This quartet is a high-energy work that capitalizes on the dynamic partnering that both Sonya and AXIS are known for. Sonya says, “I simply thought of four walls, four people and an array of sounds in creating this work.”
Alex Ketley is creating a driving quartet Vessel with poet Carol Snow, a multi award-winning SF-based poet. This work, which involves dance and text, is incredibly challenging and luxurious to dance! “This project with AXIS is exciting to me. It will be about working within a new movement and performance landscape. I feel AXIS is a company steeped in a weight, significance, passion and sense of importance that is very unique.” says Ketley. With this work, Alex is living up to his reputation as a choreographer who has a mercurial quality that can “express the inexpressible."
We’ll also finally present the Bay Area premiere of Forgone, by budding choreographer Kate Weare who hails from both NY and the Bay Area. The NY Times hails her dances as "… so smart and so well executed and full of stimulating invitations for thought…” Weare says of the piece, “Foregone is a dance about loving - how painful, raucous and foolish it can be, and how we go on doing it no matter what.” Set to a score of three bluegrass favorites this quirky, delightful sextet draws the audience in for the ride.
Also on our 20th Anniversary Program is audience favorite on tour this past season, the beauty that was mine, through the middle, without stopping choreographed by icon Joe Goode. With his signature theatrical style of dance-making, Goode explores the following questions through his work: What do we see? Is the actuality of the “seen” entity ever close to what we presume it to be? Is “seeing” somehow limited? Does it imply an unnecessary separation between viewer and viewed? We’re thrilled these two works will round out a diverse repertory program that AXIS has become known and respected for.
If you are interested in supporting new work by AXIS and specifically Alex Ketley's new piece "Vessel", you can become a commissioner of a new work with a minimum donation of $150. By commissioning, you will not only support some of the finest artists in the Bay Area, but you will also own a piece of "Vessel". Collaborating with commissioned artists to create work for AXIS’ permanent repertory is a costly endeavor. Your support will be acknowledged at every performance of "Vessel" at AXIS 20th Anniversary home season and across the country for years to come. As a commissioner, you will be invited to an exclusive open rehearsal with AXIS Dance Company, Alex Ketley, the dancers and other artists involved in this exciting project on Tuesday, October 28th. Contributors will also enjoy additional benefits (based on their donation level) including:
• $150 - $249 (Dancer) – two tickets to AXIS Dance Company’s 20th Anniversary Home Season performances November 14-16th at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, Oakland.
• $250 -$499 (Designer) - two tickets to AXIS Dance Company’s 20th Anniversary Home Season performances November 14-16th at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, Oakland. Plus an AXIS T-shirt & DVD.
• $500 - $999 (Composer) – four tickets to AXIS Dance Company’s 20th Anniversary Home Season performances November 14-16th at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, Oakland. Plus an AXIS T-shirt & DVD.
• $1000 and up (Choreographer) – four tickets to AXIS Dance Company’s 20th Anniversary Home Season performances November 14-16th at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, Oakland., an AXIS Dance Company T-shirt and DVD, plus a private dinner with Artistic Director Judith Smith and other artists involved in the project.
Thank you to the individual donors and Commissioners of "Vessel"
Clifford Cranna Jr., Anna & Joseph dos Ramos, Anne Finger, Susan Foster, Elliot and Linda Halpern, Mishana Hosseinioun, Jon Houde, Sondra Jensen & Paul Clinton, Bonnie Lewkowicz & Paul Church, Chuck & Thoebe McAvoy, Mollie McFarland in honor of Paul Mungan, J. Dougal MacKinnon, Tom Metz & David Brightman, Parker Monroe & Teresa Darragh, James Ogren, Susie Richardson, Elizabeth Sandel, M.D., Joel Snyder & Esther Geiger, Marilyn Straka in honor of Dorothy K. Clark, Brenda Waters & Jim Waters
DANCE ACCESS CORNER
Memories from a Summer Intensive - by Annika Nonhebel, Education Director
Photo of students at AXIS Summer Intensive - August 2008, photo by Jesse Sandoval, and AXIS staff
“My dancing spirit was riding waves of joy and then confusion all week, and by week’s end I feel that spirit is more robust and awakened.” – Participant Summer Intensive 2008
Sunday Aug 3, 12pm, Studio E at the Malonga Casquelourd Center in Oakland, about 30 people from 3 different countries gather in the studio where AXIS dancers normally rehearse. It’s the first day of AXIS’ Physically Integrated Dance Summer Intensive. The dancers in this room, disabled and non-disabled have been selected from more than 50 applicants to participate in this unique intensive that will run for 8 days.
Two months later the joy, energy, and dedication of all the participants still resonates within me. Seeing so many people in one room sharing a similar vision and a hunger to explore physically integrated dance is inspiring and makes you wish we could do this each month. This years’ group was of an amazing caliber. We had dancers from as far as Canada and Mexico and as close as Oakland joining us, the youngest being 15 the oldest over 80. All of them creative, talented, and eager to explore; and that is what we did!
“It helped me to pay attention to how I move and which characteristics I was afraid of exploring.” – Participant Summer Intensive 2008
As guest teacher Eric Kupers, professor of dance at CSUEB and Artistic Director of Dandelion Dance Theater, was responsible for the morning classes consisting of contact improvisation. Throughout the 8 days Eric guided the students in different aspects of improvisation working with breath, sound, qualities, and internal rhythm. The afternoon sessions were taught by AXIS Dancers and focused on technique of physically integrated dance; challenging the participants to rethink what technique is and to produce a phrase without seeing “the idealized” form. The last part of the day was focused on composition asking students to translate a duet from AXIS repertory to their own bodies and movement vocabulary. The intensive concluded with a 45-minute showing, which was attended by over 100 people. Here is a short clip of that performance.
Thinking back - with a smile on my face - I’m already getting excited about putting together the next summer intensive. We are determined to make it even better next time! - View Summer Intensive Movie - by Annika Nonhebel
DANCER PROFILE - Alice Sheppard
Interview by Michelle Fletcher
“If someone had told me I would be a dancer, I would have laughed them right out of town.” Dancing was never part of Alice Sheppard’s life plan. The oldest of five children, Alice comes from “a quintessential small English village” called Churchtown. She was raised in a family of musicians that thought of dancers as those people who twinkle-toe around stage while the serious business happens down below in the orchestra pit. As an accomplished flute, piano, and saxophone player, she performed professionally in musical venues before entering college.
Alice decided to flex her academic muscles and attend Oxford University in London. She double-majored in English and German, and during this course of study traveled abroad to live in Germany. Nowadays she gets to practice the language when she talks on the phone to her German friends that still reside in the country. Because of her tenacity, she ventured to the United States and earned a Ph.D. in Medieval Studies at Cornell University.
It was during a special academics and disabilities conference that Alice met the late Homer Avila, who was a professional dancer that had lost a leg due to cancer. Homer danced with Momix and with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane. It was Homer who first convinced her to dance. How? “He dared me!” That was enough, and Alice has been dancing ever since.
For two years Alice has been a member of AXIS, and the lessons she has learned are innumerable. She has gleaned technical information about her body and the human body as a whole, and more importantly, been amazed by the experience of “what people can give”—the power that erupts when people engage in a generous exchange of physical contact. Risk is what’s exciting, which is why when asked which AXIS piece is her favorite, she answers, “The newest.” Premieres are especially enticing because they have not yet received the reassuring affirmation of applause. Each time a new work is performed, the choreographer and dancers are vulnerable—this would make some squirm, but Alice loves it.
She also likes listening to loud music with the windows rolled down. Her preferred “get-down” music is music that is strong in every sense—well-crafted with vibrant tones and “nothing wishy-washy.” New Orleans blues, classical selections, and good jazz can all be found on her playlist. Besides dancing with AXIS and listening to great music, she is busy building a new home with her husband Daniel. “I also live a crazy internet life,” she confessed--Alice is an avid blogger.
“I am super-excited for the home season performances.” She is thrilled that AXIS is dedicated to the company’s Oakland base. “We are an Oakland dance company, and that’s exciting.” With two premieres on the bill, count on Alice to be raring on the side of the stage as she waits in the wings.
Photo: Alice Sheppard & Rodney Bell in "Foregone" by Kate Weare. Photo courtesey AXIS Dance Company.
BOARD PROFILE - Anna dos Ramos
Interview by Michelle Fletcher
Anna dos Ramos is a board member of AXIS Dance Company, and just a few weeks ago she was elected to serve as Vice President. Currently, Anna and her husband, live in Sonoma County. Anna not only serves as a stellar member on the AXIS board, she also works as a diversity and inclusion consultant and teaches at a local university. Anna offers a course to undergraduate business majors called “Managing Diversity.” Anna has only recently begun teaching, and is eager to impart knowledge with compassion to her students. Not only does Anna have extensive experience in the business world, she has a sincere love for the arts.
Born and raised in San Francisco, Anna grew up with limited exposure to the artistic world. One might think this an unfortunate circumstance, but actually her newfound passion has enabled her to view art with a childlike awe: “It is all still very new to me.” She appreciates this fresh glimpse into life’s beauty--sculpture, dance, and most recently, her active interest in theatre performances. “If you had asked me several years ago if I particularly liked the theatre…” Well…now she definitely does. She loves how the phenomenon of creativity can change the ordinary into something extraordinary. “Art can shift one’s belief about what is possible.”
Anna heard of AXIS through a friend, but it wasn’t until she attended “Ever Widening Circle,” an annual event sponsored by the World Institute on Disability, where AXIS was presenting that she wanted to get involved. The World Institute on Disability is an internationally recognized public policy center organized by, and for, people with disabilities.
Working with AXIS and the unique individuals that comprise the board, staff, and dance company has affected Anna in inexpressible and unknowable ways. She says that working with AXIS has been challenging, inspiring, and rewarding. Knowing that artists and disabled dancers face tough challenges, she has developed a new awareness that has touched her soul. “They [AXIS] have helped me move from my head to my heart.”
When asked to name a favorite piece, Anna simply responded by saying that they are all powerful in their own way, yet she could not help but begin to rattle off a list of memorable pieces. “The Bill T. Jones piece, oh, and the Margaret Jenkins piece…” Since Anna will be attending the upcoming home season in November, she will definitely have more favorites to add to her list.
CALL FOR NEW BOARD MEMBERS
AXIS Dance Company is currently accepting new Board member applications. To learn more about how you can join a group of talented and committed indiviudals in advancing the mission of AXIS Dance Company, please contact us at (510) 625-0110 or email info@axisdance.org. We’re particularly looking for candidates interested in dance, disability issues, and integration who will bring one or more of the following:
•Commitment to AXIS’ creative vision and philosophy
•Fundraising/development expertise
•Connections to corporate communities; expertise in designing social initiatives that generate earned income, “social entrepreneurship”
•Connections to the diverse cultural communities of the San Francisco Bay Area
•Skill in marketing/public relations
•Expertise in nonprofit administration, HR policy/personnel, or financial management
•Commitment to making a hands-on contribution to the company
•Experience with contemporary dance (as a performer, choreographer, teacher, or dance enthusiast)
There's still time to Support AXIS 20th Anniversary
So far 136 donors have given $20 or more to AXIS Dance Company's 20th Anniversary Campaign and we've reached 25% of our goal. See the list of friends & supporters below who have brought us one step closer to our goal of raising $20,000. If you would like to be added to this list of supporters you can:
THANK YOU CURRENT 20 for 20 DONORS!
Nadia Adame & Mark Swetz
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Mary Luft
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AXIS 20th Anniversary Honorary Committee
Thank you to our 20th Anniversary Honorary Committee!
Hon. Michela Alioto-Pier, San Francisco City Supervisor
Soula Antoniou, President, VSA Arts
Dean Beck-Stewart
Larry Connolly & John Killacky
Sonya Delwaide, Choreographer
Hon. Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senator
Susan Foster, Professor, Choreography, History and Theories of the Body, UCLA Department of World Arts & Cultures
Janice Garrett, Executive Director, Center for Independent Living, Berkeley
Joan Jeanrenaud, Musician/Composer
Conway B. Jones, Jr., Chairman, Calvin Simmons Center for the Performing Arts
Deborah Kaplan, Director of Accessible Technology Initiatives, CSU Chancellors Office
Hon. Jean Kennedy Smith, U.S. Ambassador
Bruce Lawrence, M.D.
J. Dougal MacKinnon, M.D.
Victoria Marks, Choreographer
Meredith Monk, Composer, Singer, Director/Choreographer; Artistic Director, The House Foundation for the Arts
Hon. Nancy Nadel, Council Member, City of Oakland
Ahmed Rahim, CFO, NUMI Tea
Elizabeth Sandel, M.D., Kaiser Foundation Rehabilitation Center
Joel Snyder & Esther Geiger, President, Audio Description Associates
Hon. Sandre Swanson, California State Assembly Member
Cheryl Ward, KGO Television
Brenda Way, Artistic & Executive Director, ODC Dance
Photo: AXIS Dance Company 1998. Clockwise from bottom left, Uli Schmitz, Megan Schirle, Judith Smith, Stephanie McGlynn, Nicole Richter, Bonnie Lewkowicz. Photo by Marty Sohl.
20th Anniversary Home Season and Dance Access Day
Photo: AXIS Dance Company in 2003. Clockwise from bottom, Jacques Poulin-Denis, Judith Smith, Alisa Rasera, Stephanie Bastos, Sean McMahon, Renee Waters, Bonnie Lewkowicz, Katie Faulkner. Photo by Andy Mogg.
AXIS 20TH ANNIVERSARY - Home Season 2008
Fri, November 14th & Sat, November 15th @ 8pm and
Sun, November 16th @ 2pm
Family Performance
AXIS will be premiering two new works, Vessel by Alex Ketley & A Room with No View by Sonya Delwaide. Also on the program, the beauty that was mine, through the middle, without stopping by Joe Goode, and Foregone by Kate Weare.
Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts
1428 Alice Street (between 14th and 17th streets) Oakland, CA
Close to BART and plenty of parking
Tickets: Performances on November 14th and 15th are $22 general, $20 seniors, students and disabled, $14 for youth 17 and under. Sunday, November 16th is “Target Family Performance Day”. All tickets are $10 that day (performance is identical to the evening presentation).
Call the Box Office (925) 798-1300, Tues-Sat 12pm-6pm
or order online. $2 off all tickets purchased before October 31st (except Sunday performance).
Online ticket sales through Willows Theatre Company (CBON).
DANCE ACCESS DAY SPONSORED BY
Tuesday, October 21th @ 9:30am & 11:00am
FREE Event
Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice Street, Oakland.
Give your students the unique opportunity to participate as an audience member at this free of charge show by AXIS Dancers.
AXIS Dance Company's Dance Access Day performance for youth provides children ages 4-12 with the exciting experience of watching a live AXIS performance in a theater setting. AXIS dancers showcase artistic repertory, provide educational information on disability, personal dance history, and include the audience in a physically integrated dance experience. This interactive performance lasts approximately 45 minutes and includes a 5-minute Q&A session. Bring your students to this event that they will never forget!
Dance Access Day is sponsored by TARGET and will take place on October 21, at 9:30 and 11:00.
If you are interested in attending this show please contact Annika Nonhebel at annika@axisdance.org or call 510 625 0110
We also offers classroom visits prior to our show as a way to introduce students to our company and disability awareness please call 510 625-0110 for more information.
THANK YOU!
INDIVIDUAL DONORS...
PATRONS ($1000-$2499): Tom Metz & David Brightman, Susan Foster
DONORS ($500-$999): Mishana Hosseinioun, Jon Houde, Chuck & Thoebe McAvoy, Charles & Gerry McAvoy, Elizabeth Sandel, M.D., Joel Snyder & Esther Geiger
SUSTAINERS ($250-$499): David A. Brown, Sakti Das & Janet Das, Sondra Jensen & Paul Clinton, Cynthia “Roxy” Jones, Bruce Lawrence, MD, Bonnie Lewkowicz & Paul Church, J. Dougal MacKinnon, M.D.
SPONSORS ($100-$249): Jeremy Alliger, Charlotte Belser, Helen Cho, Clifford Cranna Jr., Della Davidson, Ann Helen DiFruscia, Jackie & Richard Fineberg, Anne Finger, Lakshmi Fjord, David Foster, Elliot and Linda Halpern, Joan Jeanrenaud, Debby Kaplan, Lucille Karuzas, Bobby Karuzas, Mary Ann Klipp, Bettina Krone, Hank & Gail Liese, Mary Luft, Arnie Malina, Mollie McFarland, Pam Mendelsohn, Helen O’Brien, James Ogren, Patricia & Deanna Orr, Laurie Posner, Joanne Reid & Phillip Filbrandt, David Risinger, Peg & George Schirle, Nancy Sequest, Paul & Lonnie Simonson, Marilyn Straka, Brenda & JimWaters, Lawrence & Carolyn Zaroff
SUPPORTERS ($50-$99): Nadia Adame & Mark Swetz, Martha Borst, Tony Caparelli, Mary Kate Carter, Edmund Coppinger, Jay Davidson, Bruce Dugstad, Bonnie England, Katie Faulkner, Rebecca M. Fisher, Mimi Fox, Jonathan Garrish, Larry Guevara, Marilynn Hall & Alan Baskin, Olivia Herriford, Walter Holden & Alisa Rasera-Holden, Neil and Denise Jacobson, Joe Karuzas, Mickey Kay, Sabrina Klein, David Landes, Michele Laurel, Stephanie & MattMcGlynn, Jerry Moore, Jean Morrison, Michael Muehe, Karen Peterson, Manuela & Sarina Rohr, Anne Scarcella, Joshua Schefers & Cashel O’Boyle, Ann Schubert, Marianne Schulman, Mary M. Sweeney & David A. Reed, Phoebe Watts, Lauren Anne Wilkinson, Daunne Zinger
FANS ($10-$49): Leora Amir, Mary Barrington, Heather Basarab, Eve Beglarian, Bev Bender, Susan & Marie Blanchard, Diana Bohn, Wendy Bolker, Carol Bolter, Ruth Bossieux, Joan Breves, Jennifer Calienes, RT Carr III, Lawrence Carter-Long, Susan Chandler, Christine Chen, Carolyn Cornia, Ann Cupolo & Sam Freeman, Beth Currier, Lela DaVia, Martin de Ronde, Victoria Dunlap, Patricia Dunne, Cheryl Eccles, Devin Eckhoff , Esther Ehrlich, Jane Elin, Catharine Ellenwood, Bonnie Elliott, Frankie Entzel, Sherman Fan, Dan Fichte, Lynn Fisher, Rebecca Fogg, Dan Forte, Kim E. Fowler, Bob and Cass Freedland, Shari Goforth-Eby, Howard & Cindi Goldberg, Ruth Gorrin, Ted Gram-Boarini, Jamie Tyler Gull, John Hamburger & Sandra Park, Wayne Hazzard, Renee Heider, John Holloway, Conway B. Jones, Arlene Karlin, Gary Karp, Mickey Kay, Robin Keller & Talia & Mark Geliebter, Rose Adams Kelly, Margaret Kendrick & Angel Contreras, Joshua Klipp, Ted Ko, Jürg Koch, Lee L. Lipp, Janet Lowman, Ruth Mankin, Jessica Martin, Micha Massey, Sandra & Rodney McFarland, Ann McGinnis, Jonny McPhee, Janet Meskin, Nick Morabe, Nichole & Matt Mullen, Susan Musicant, Jerry & Diane Neuman, Martha Newman, Annika Nonhebel, Peggy Orlin & Paul Davis, Patty Overland, Presley Phattrapun, Zach Pine, Robin Pomerance, Baika Pratt, Melanie Rak, Joann & Louis Rasera, Mary Reid, Laura Rifkin, Jessica Robinson, Manuela & Sarina Rohr, Kate Sadowsky, Jacqueline Sanders, Jessie Sandoval, Karen Schiller, Katherine Selig, Terry Sendgraff, Clysta Seney, Hunter Severt, Jamie Sheldon, Allegra Silberstein, Teri & John Simmons, Leslie J. Smith, Sam Smith, Judith Smith & IvaWalton, Carol Snow & David Matchett, Janet Sovin, Anne Springer, John & Lauren Steinberg, Kelana Stewart, Marilyn Straka, Diane Sullivan, Tony Sustak, Lexi Tucker, Delphy M. Vaznaugh, Doug Victor, Val Vivona, William & Jennifer Vlangas, Lucia Volk, Stacey Wafer & Sylvia Davis, Hannah Pearl Walcott, Leigh Walters Manning, Brad Witt, Beth Wrightson, Allegra Yellin, Betsy York, Julia Youngblood
Foundations Support :
- National Endowment for the Arts
- City of Oakland Cultural Arts & Marketing Department
- California Arts Council
- Betty Faber Fund
- Cisco Systems Foundation
- Cresent, Porter and Hale
- East Bay Community Foundation
- The Walter & Elise Haas Foundation
- William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
- National Dance Project or the New England Foundation on the Arts
- The Oakland Methodist Foundation
- The Bernard Osher Foundation
- The San Francisco Foundation
- Morris Stulsaft Foundation
- Taproot Foundation
- TARGET
- True North Foundation
- Van Loben Sels RembeRock Foundation
- VSA Arts Connect All
- Zellerbach Family Fund
A HUGE thanks to all of these folks who provide in-kind services, volunteer their time, advise us, console us and cheer us on!
AXIS Board of Directors, AXIS dancers and their significant others, Mimi Basu, Bernard Boudreaux, Joey Brite, Jennifer Calienes, Larry Connolly & John Killacky, Sonya Delwaide & Mills College, Michelle Fletcher, Dylan Flocker, Vicky Fong, Joe Goode, Patrick Hajduk, Ted Helminski, Nancy Henderson, InterPlay, Alex Ketley, Joel Koosed, Eric Kupers and Dandelion Dance Theater, Trib LaPrade, La Paz Coffeee Company, Jennifer Leonard, LUNA Kids Dance and Patricia Reedy, Malonga Center for the Performing Arts, Dean McCully, NUMI Tea, Terri O'Hare, Dean Osaki, Caroline Penwarden, Neil Ratzlaff, Dawn Raymond, Phil Reynolds, Jessica Robinson & Couterpulse, Nina Sazevich, Megan Schirle, Karen Schiller, San Francisco Performances, Company C Contempirary Ballet, Leslie Smith, Jerry Smith, Dierdre Spencer, Stafford, Ilona Sturm, Louise Vesper, Dewayne Walton, Iva Walton and David and Susie Waxman.