(AXIS Dance Company dancers Sonsheree Giles and Judith Smith. Photo by Trib LaPrade.)
I’ve been disabled for thirty years and can say that I’ve managed to have a very good life–better than I imagined I might after I became a c-6 quad in 1977 at age 17. The first 10 years were really difficult. My mother died, I had to move to the city after growing up in a small mountain town in CO and I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. But, I managed to have several key people come into my life who helped me find my way. Through twists and turns, I ended up in Berkeley, CA in 1983. In 1987, I became a founding member of AXIS Dance Company and became the Artistic Director in 1997.
Dancing is actually the last thing I ever imagined I would be doing. As a child and teenager , my passion was horses. I grew up riding through the Colorado mountains and competing on the horseshow circuit in hunter/jumper classes. At age 17, I was in a car accident which drastically altered the course of my life. I spent the next several years sitting very still, being an alien in my own body, and trying to figure out what in the world I was going to do with the remainder of my time on the planet. Through various twists and turns in my life, I ended up in Berkeley, the mecca for people with disabilities. I met a woman, Gail Pacifica, who was very interested in dance and movement. We began doing movement improvisation on the floor for fun. A whole new world began to open up for me as I learned for the first time since becoming disabled how much I really could move! This led me into swimming, weightlifting and eventually to the martial arts where I met Thais Mazur in a kajukenbo kung fu class. Thais and some other people, disabled and not, were creating a dance piece based on the story of a young dancer who becomes disabled but begins to dance and perform again– in a wheelchair. Even though I knew nothing about dance, I agreed to join the project.
This was the beginning of AXIS Dance Company. We performed the piece at a local dance festival, receiving a standing ovation. We weren’t sure whether the ovation was for our dance or because some of us were disabled. Immediately, there were requests for our performances and we realized there was something very socially and politically significant and potent about what we were doing–creating dance that was the result of people with and without disabilities collaborating as equals. Since we knew of no other dance companies doing this kind of work, we had to start from scratch. We began developing our own movement vocabulary using Thais’ and other AXIS dancers’ skills in contact improvisation and modern dance. Now, almost ten years later, we know of many other dancers around the world who are also developing and pioneering this new genre of dance. We have performed and taught locally, nationally and internationally as far away as Siberia in a wide variety of venues and situations.
I certainly didn’t know that an outrageous idea to create a dance with people in wheelchairs and people on feet would go so far. What I value most about dance is the freedom it’s given me to explore who I am, to be creative with my mind and my body and to move in ways in and out of my chair that I never imagined. Dance also brought discipline, focus and direction back into my life. I love doing things that are unusual and push the boundaries of what most people think possible. Performing, teaching and presenting the work that I’ve been part of creating with a group of incredibly wonderful and talented individuals has been most rewarding and challenging. I see my dance as a way to give something back, to challenge people to always question our assumptions and to keep our minds open to the endless possibilities and potentials inherent in us all.
Through AXIS, I’ve had the opportunity to do something with my life that I feel is socially relevant. I met Iva Walton, my partner of 12 years backstage at a dance festival. We own a home in Oakland that we share with a dog and numerous feral cats. I look back at my life and there are not many things I’d change. I’ve had the great good fortune of finding something to do with my life that is endlessly challenging, inspiring, creative and rewarding. Being surrounded daily by passionate, committed and talented artists, not too mention some of the brilliant minds of our time makes for a great life actually. You can learm nore about AXIS at axisdance.org.
Judith Smith, Artistic Director
AXIS Dance Company
Oakland, CA
judy@axisdance.org
Www.axisdance.org
