By spotlighting disabled performers, Bay Area company AXIS Dance challenges conventional thinking about movement

"By pairing disabled dancers with able-bodied performers, AXIS Dance Company began shifting attention away from impossible feats to the art of what's possible. The group's unique exploration of dance pioneering different ways to translate internal thoughts, feelings and ideas into physical motion started as a therapeutic way to regain bodily autonomy."

"Rees said the modern iteration of AXIS now taps the talents of disabled, non-disabled, d/Deaf and neurodiverse dancers creating a diverse, radically inclusive spectrum of life experience that showcases the beauty found in difference. But many of the concerns that motivated the group's formation still abound, centered around structural inequities in health care, employment and education."

"AXIS no longer sees itself as a physically integrated dance company a term the ensemble picked up decades ago when they helped introduce audiences and critics to the idea that disabled dancers could not only keep up, but also elevate on-stage dynamics with able-bodied peers."

AXIS Dance Company, based in Berkeley, revolutionized dance by integrating disabled and able-bodied performers, moving beyond traditional spectacle-based metrics of athletic achievement. Originally emerging as a therapeutic practice for bodily autonomy, the company coincided with disability rights movements and gained international recognition. The organization has evolved beyond the "physically integrated dance company" label to embrace a radically inclusive approach featuring disabled, non-disabled, d/Deaf, and neurodiverse dancers. Under Executive Director Danae Rees, AXIS continues addressing structural inequities in healthcare, employment, and education through performances, educational programs like the Choreo-Lab Fellowship, and mentorship opportunities, maintaining its dual commitment to artistry and advocacy.

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