The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) awarded AXIS Dance Company one of eighteen prestigious Leadership Grants Program for Dance. Oakland based AXIS is highly regarded in physically integrated dance - a contemporary dance form for dancers with and without physical disabilities. This inaugural round of DDCF's initiative supports the self-defined, long-term goals of organizations that have demonstrated excellence and sustained commitment to the field of dance.
As a leader in physically integrated dance in the US, AXIS hosted the first ever National Convening on the Future of Physically Integrated Dance in the USA in May of this year with lead support from Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. This was a curated convening of over fifty activators in the field- artistic directors, dancers, funders, presenters, service organizations, dance writers and educators that spanned the field's first, second and third generations. Regional Convenings in New England, the South, the Mid-Atlantic, the Midwest, the Western States and West Coast will take place in 2016. Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Leadership Grants Program for Dance provides flexible, multi-year, individually tailored funds that enable organizations to develop their long-term capacity to respond to changing conditions in the performing arts sector and the world at large, including those related to demographics, audience behavior and the impact of technology. Program grants are $200,000 over four years and designed to be responsive to organizational needs, and the Foundation encourages use of funds, not only to meet immediate needs, but also to develop capacities for the future. In order to qualify for the full grant, AXIS successfully completed a planning and 3 year forecasting and financial modeling exercise by mid-year.Videos