ABOUT DANCE ACCESS

Dance Access was created in direct response to community demand. We believe that providing dance opportunities to all people enriches the entire community. To our knowledge, Dance Access is the only ongoing, comprehensive program of physically integrated dance education in Northern California and one of only a few programs nationally.

WHAT WE DO

• Present performances and education/outreach events for youth and adults of all abilities.
• Promote a model of physical integration through integrated teaching teams and class composition.
• Provide lecture demonstrations, video presentations, pre and post performance Q & A's.
• Provide consultation in a wide variety of arts, educational, health and community settings.
• AXIS programs have received support from the NEA, the California Arts Council, the City of Oakland and numerous private foundations.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

School Assemblies/KIDS Performances

AXIS in-school assemblies and performances provide K-12 students the exciting experience of participating as an audience member of a live AXIS performance within a familiar setting. AXIS dancers showcase artistic repertory, provide educational information on disability, personal dance history, and include the audience in a physically integrated dance experience. Programs typically last 35-45 minutes. AXIS dancers also provide 45-minute creative dance workshops for 20-30 students for an additional fee. New Teachers Guide

AXIS in the Classroom

AXIS dancers visit individual classrooms to provide opportunities to meet our dancers and to learn about dance, working artists, and disability. Visits last approximately 30-minutes and include a video presentation with Question and Answer session to follow. AXIS will visit a minimum of 3 classrooms per visit with a maximum of 20 students per class.

In School Residencies

AXIS works with select elementary schools to bring creative dance classes to kids with and without physical disabilities. Residencies range from 3 days to one academic year depending on shared goals and available resources. The class size is typically about 20 students. Students have the opportunity to explore their own dance vocabulary, build confidence, practice cooperation and develop appreciation of each other's creative expression.

Master Classes and Intensives

AXIS offers master classes and workshops in physically integrated dance for non-dancers, dancers, health and educational professionals as well as members of the community, with any level of dance experience. AXIS also offers 'intensives' and 'teacher trainings', which provide more concentrated study of particular themes or approaches for intermediate and advanced students.

AXIS Studio Program

In addition to programs in schools and organizations, we conduct our own studio programs throughout the year for students of all ages with and without disabilities. Dance Access /KIDS! is an after school creative dance program designed for youth 6-12 and 13-21. Classes focus on exploration of individual dance vocabulary, confidence, while building cooperation skills and developing appreciation of each other's creative expression.

AXIS also hosts a monthly Professional Series where we invite well-known dance teachers and choreographers to teach during our regular studio classes. This gives our students and others the opportunity to experience different teachers and different contemporary dance forms.

Dance Access Adult Programs offer studio classes for adults with and without disabilities from beginning to advanced dance levels. Classes include contact improvisation, creative dance technique, choreography, and performance skills.

AXIS: Redefining Dance & Disability

AXIS company members engage in presentations and lecture demonstrations in a variety of settings including conferences, seminars, classes and professional trainings to present information on this bold contemporary dance company. Presentations are appropriate for health care professionals; occupational therapy groups; government, transportation and corporate staff development trainings; and university and college students. Demonstrations may include video presentation, and physical demonstrations. Lecture demonstrations are often a good choice for community centers, schools, convention centers, libraries, or other public or corporate venues, which lack the space or resources for an AXIS performance or workshop but are interested in learning about our work. These presentations are usually an hour and a half in length and include a video presentation, information on disability and accessibility, live demonstrations and question and answer sessions with working dance artists.

Performances

AXIS is available for professionally presented full-length performances and for less formal events. AXIS can travel as a full company or smaller ensemble, presenting shows of 30-90 minutes in length. Performances are tailored to your specific needs. Our diverse repertoire includes pieces choreographed by AXIS company members as well as many esteemed choreographers and is suited to any audience.

FEES & AVAILABILITY

Please contact the AXIS office to determine the availability of the company and the Dance Access teaching team for future engagements, (510) 625-0110, annika@axisdance.org. The fees for our services range depending on the program, number of engagements, length of engagement, number of AXIS dancers required and distance to which the company travels for the engagement. It is our goal to reach as many communities and schools as possible with our unique performances and education programs. If there are other schools or organizations within your area that could benefit from AXIS' programs around the same time of your event, we often negotiate a fee based on multiple engagements within one area.