AXIS Dance Company

Accessibility is safety.

It creates the conditions for us to take care of each other, something that often falls on disabled people to do for other disabled people. As a result, it’s disability mutual aid and care work that can often teach us the most about how accessibility can be made truly useful.



Image Description:
Hannah, Julie, and Janpi in performance on stage, wearing colorful costumes, holding hands in a row, with Hannah pulling Julie who is seated in a wheelchair. Bold white text reads Accessibility is...Safety.

Proof that serious artistry and absolute silliness can coexist.

Image Description:
1. Dramatic shot of JanpiStar laying backward onto a flight of concrete stairs in a modelesque posture, wearing pink activewear, their wheelchair stationed to the right.
2. Julie dramatic shot from above, seated on the studio floor in a modelesque pose, wearing black sunglasses and colorful and fuzzy tube socks.
3. Hannah and Zivitte pose playfully next to each other in the studio, their arms extended and flared outward, each with one knee bent and toe pointed.
4. Dancers improvise movements on the floor, some rolling using wheelchairs and scooter boards. AXIS dancer Alaja scoots in and out of frame, smiling humorously.
5. Nadia Adame, standing and moving with a support, swings Julie, seated in a wheelchair, in circle around her.

Some moments from Summer Intensive feel bigger than words. This was one of them. 💜

Thank you to everyone who brought their curiosity, artistry, and generosity into the studio with us.



Image Description:
Warm-toned photo of a Summer Intensive class posing dramatically as a group under the orange light streaming in from a circular window.

Deaf artists and audiences are often late to be informed about key information because of the language barrier between English and ASL. Good access design recognizes that sign language forms the cultural and linguistic communities of capital-D Deaf spaces.

Designing with Deaf communities in mind strengthens access for everyone. It challenges us to communicate more intentionally, collaborate more thoughtfully, and build spaces where people feel expected—not accommodated.

Image Description:
AXIS dancer Julie tilts back in her wheelchair as Anna reaches out with one hand; fingers stretching forward as Anna deepens in a second plié. Bold white text reads Accessibilityis...Deaf-Centric.

We're excited to welcome Holly Million as AXIS' new Executive Director. 💜

Holly brings more than 35 years of nonprofit leadership experience across the arts, education, science, environmental, and social impact sectors. As Executive Director, she'll lead AXIS's financial strategy, fundraising, operations, and organizational growth alongside Artistic Director Nadia Adame and our Board of Directors.

Together, we have an extraordinary opportunity to expand the reach of disability culture, deepen our impact, and reimagine what dance can achieve in communities worldwide.

Please join us in welcoming Holly to the AXIS community as we look ahead to this exciting new chapter.



Image Description:
Holly Million, a woman with light skin and blonde hair wearing colorful clothing, sits on a large boulder in a rocky natural area, with tall trees in the background.

What happens during the AXIS Summer Intensive?

Over six days, participants dive into accessible movement practices, improvisation, choreography, performance, and disability dance culture—learning alongside AXIS artists and one another.
Whether you're joining us for the full Intensive or our Teacher Training Modules, each day offers an opportunity to expand your practice, build community, and explore new ways to create and teach dance.

Swipe through for a look at this year's curriculum.



Image Description: Graphic text carousel with bold white text on a purple gradient backdrop, featuring an image of an integrated dance class in the lower half. Each image features topic of each day of summer intensive: access in practice, accessible technique, accessible performance, accessible composition/choreography, and teacher training.