AXIS Dance Company To Make Their Latin America Debut This October

AXIS Dance Company—hailed as one of the nation's most acclaimed ensembles of disabled, non-disabled, and neurodiverse performers—announced today that the company will make their Latin America debut at the 51st anniversary of Festival Internacional Cervantino. Taking place October 14–15, 2023 in Guanajuato, Mexico, Festival Internacional Cervantino is considered one of the most important international artistic and cultural events in Mexico and Latin America.
 
“As 'el Cervantino' seeks to showcase diverse and expansive contributions from artists across the world, AXIS is honored to share the unique perspectives we have to offer as dancers and choreographers from across the disability spectrum,” said AXIS Artistic Director Nadia Adame. “We hope that our world-class artistry as well as our advocacy work for the disability community can help bring more accessible, innovative programming to this historically significant arts festival.”
 
“Additionally,” Adame adds, “as many of us speak Spanish ourselves, we can't wait to connect with audiences and build relationships with artists across the Spanish-speaking world.”
 
Performing excerpts from the triple bill Adelante, AXIS will share their work that redefines dance and disability in the historic city of Guanajuato, joining 2,200 artists from 31 countries in this vibrant celebration of the performing arts. Other artist performing include Dance Theater of Harlem, Beijing Dance Theater, La Mezcla, and more!
 
In addition to performances, AXIS will partner with organizations in Guanajuanto and nearby Mexico City to facilitate outreach and education events for disabled and non-disabled artists of all ages and experiences.

ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL PIECES FEATURED IN ADELANTE
 
Historias Rotas
Nadia Adame's Historias Rotas explores how our stories start with our ancestors: their struggles, their tears and their smiles. They have paved our road and our journey contains their broken stories. We go through life gathering stories and collecting moments that become part of our baggage. Inspired by the letters that Adame's grandparents sent to each other while in exile, Historias Rotas moves through these moments that we choose to keep and the ones we let go of.
 
Nadia Adame (she/her) is a Spanish multidisciplinary award-winning artist with a spinal cord injury. She studied Ballet & Flamenco at the Royal Dance Conservatory of Madrid and has a BA in Theater from the University of Colorado. She was a company member with AXIS (2001-2003) and Candoco Dance Company (2007-2008). In 2004, she co- founded Compañía Y in Spain, a multimedia and performance collective. Nadia's credits include dance, theater, commercial, and independent film projects in the UK, Spain, US, and Canada. As a performer, she has been featured in works by Stephen Petronio, Bill T. Jones, Arthur Pita, Sonya Delwaide, Marc Brew and Asun Noales, among others.
 
Tread
From AXIS Choreo-Lab alum Ben Levine, Tread  is a joyful exploration of momentum, friction, and gravity that uses wheeled children's toys to level the playing field between disabled and non-disabled dancers.
 
Ben Levine (he/they) is a multidisciplinary artist working in dance, theater, and installation. As a dance maker and deviser, he works highly collaboratively. In 2019 he established Extreme Lengths Productions, a non-profit arts collaborative devoted to creating technology-driven, movement-based, unconventional performance experiences. Named “Best Up-For-Anything Technical Director" by the Washington City Paper, Ben works as a theater technician and carpenter, as well as a lighting, scenic, and projection designer for dance and theater. He is currently the Director of Production at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, DC. Since 2014, he has worked as the Production Manager for the National Performance Network. He holds degrees in Theater Arts and Mathematics from Drew University.
 
Desiderata
Award-winning Spanish choreographer Asun Noales presents Desiderata, which explores the idea of desire as something universal and intimate at the same time. Epiphany of the being that looks, listens, vibrates and touches another body. Universe that is revealed by discovering the other.
 
Asun Noales (she/her) is a Spanish choreographer and Artistic Director of OtraDanza. Noales has received prestigious choreographic awards, including Premio Max 2021 and Valencia Performing Arts Awards. Noales was chosen by the magazine Susy Q as one of the “Ten Choreographers to Watch”. She's been commissioned to create works for Take Dance Company (NYC), Tanzcompagnie Giessen (Germany), Rigolo Novelle Cirq (St Gallen) and Luna/">Luna Negra Dance Theater (Chicago). Noales is a professor at the Professional Conservatory in Spain.

Led by Artistic Director Nadia Adame and Managing Director Danae Rees, AXIS is one of the nation's most acclaimed ensembles of disabled, non-disabled, and neurodiverse performers. AXIS was founded in 1987 and creates world-class productions that challenge perceptions and redefine dance and disability. The Bay Area, California-based company has toured over 100 cities in the US, Israel and Palestine, United Kingdom, Europe, United Arab Emirates, and Russia, and has received nine Isadora Duncan Dance Awards. AXIS commissions new work from a host of renowned international choreographers including Marc Brew, Arthur Pita, Robin Dekkers, Bill T. Jones, Jennifer Archibald, Stephen Petronio, Amy Seiwert, and Asun Noales. In tandem with a robust performance calendar, AXIS provides unparalleled integrated dance education and outreach programs. AXIS builds paths to dance education for disabled and non-disabled people of all ages, experiences, and spectrum of disabilities.
 
For more information, visit www.axisdance.org.