On Tuesday, November 17, 2015, I had the pleasure of viewing AXIS Dance Company. The show was help at the NJPAC in Newark New Jersey, at 7:30 pm. Prior to viewing the show; I possessed little to know information on the company. This was a new concept for me: I usually like to do a lot of research before I go to see a dance company. I wanted this time to be different. Upon picking a dance company to go see live, I stumbled upon the AXIS Dance Company, I had never heard of this particular dance and their mission and concept immediately intrigued me. Within their company bio they state, “AXIS Dance Company exists to change the face of dance and disability”. AXIS possesses both disabled and non-disabled dancers, which was incredible to watch.
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The first piece to be performed was DIX MINUTES PLUS TARD. It is a duo danced by two female dancers: Julie Crothers and Sophie Stanley. The piece is performed to Schubert’s Andante from the String quartet No. 15 in G, D.887. Sonya Delwaide choreographed the duet in 2013; this is her eighth time setting a piece on the company. The two dancers are dressed in similarly styled but not exactly the same dresses, which were designed by Stephanie Verrieres. One dancers dress is dark purple and the others grey. Both dresses are styled tight on the top and looser on the bottom; the length goes right passed the knee and both dancers are wearing black socks. DIX MINUTES PLUS TARD is an interesting take on a dance duet. The dancers were constantly complimenting each other’s movements and the partnering was constantly new and exciting. The piece began with on dancer entering straight on from the front of the stage while the other enters from the back shadows. The audience is immediately drawn to the relationship the dancers share because as they walk past each other they bump and begin to share weight. There is a constant switch in roles throughout the piece. The dancers take turns manipulating the other. Something I found especially interesting in this piece was the fact that one of the dancers possessed a disability. On her left arm, she did not have an arm from the elbow down. I found this interesting because if I had not read the dancers bio, I am not positive that I would have even noticed. Both dancers performed the same movement with the same strength: disability or not. I especially enjoyed this duet and constantly found myself questioning, “How can my body movement inspire my partners?” This is a concept I saw frequently in this piece and I am interested in exploring it myself. The movement seemed extremely natural; the dancers were not trying to move each other. Instead
The first piece to be performed was DIX MINUTES PLUS TARD. It is a duo danced by two female dancers: Julie Crothers and Sophie Stanley. The piece is performed to Schubert’s Andante from the String quartet No. 15 in G, D.887. Sonya Delwaide choreographed the duet in 2013; this is her eighth time setting a piece on the company. The two dancers are dressed in similarly styled but not exactly the same dresses, which were designed by Stephanie Verrieres. One dancers dress is dark purple and the others grey. Both dresses are styled tight on the top and looser on the bottom; the length goes right passed the knee and both dancers are wearing black socks. DIX MINUTES PLUS TARD is an interesting take on a dance duet. The dancers were constantly complimenting each other’s movements and the partnering was constantly new and exciting. The piece began with on dancer entering straight on from the front of the stage while the other enters from the back shadows. The audience is immediately drawn to the relationship the dancers share because as they walk past each other they bump and begin to share weight. There is a constant switch in roles throughout the piece. The dancers take turns manipulating the other. Something I found especially interesting in this piece was the fact that one of the dancers possessed a disability. On her left arm, she did not have an arm from the elbow down. I found this interesting because if I had not read the dancers bio, I am not positive that I would have even noticed. Both dancers performed the same movement with the same strength: disability or not. I especially enjoyed this duet and constantly found myself questioning, “How can my body movement inspire my partners?” This is a concept I saw frequently in this piece and I am interested in exploring it myself. The movement seemed extremely natural; the dancers were not trying to move each other. Instead