This weekend, the kick-off of

Axis Dance Company’s Home Season

featuring the work of choreographer Marc Brew

Brew’s performance, Full of Words, utilizes spoken word, one word at a time, interwoven between three separate duets. At the end of each ‘vignette’ one sentence is constructed as a means to describe the relationship between the dancers. The piece is a thoughtful and provocative commentary on human interaction, romance, and  relationships.

The piece creates conversations between Brew’s dancers, ultimately with the completion of a sentence that sums up an identifiable relationship among the “characters” in the piece. “I always start the work with getting to know the dancers and who they are as people,” says Brew, “what interests them and what challenges them.” Each dancer’s tangential interactions seem to symbolize how we exist with one another.

In addition to Brew’s Full of Words, the Axis Dance Company performance will also feature reprisals of Light Shelter by David Dorfman and The Narrowing by AXIS dancer Sebastian Grubb.

Judith Smith, creative director of AXIS Dance Company took a few minutes away from her preparation for the upcoming performance to answer a few questions:

AXIS Dance Company features a very diverse array of performers, often within the disabled community. What is the recruiting process of AXIS? How is it possible to become ‘part of the team’?

—-AXIS ALWAYS includes disabled AND nondisabled dancers. that’s our mission and the reason the company was formed. Sometime we hold auditions. But often we scout for dancers through our classes, summer intensives, community casts for certain pieces and workshops, which is the best way for us. Some of our dancers have contacted us and sent resumes and videotapes.

As choreographers, dancers, and creative visionaries– with the intent of reaching an audience, what do you believe to be the most important impact of the performance? The visual production or the commentary of the piece?

—-It ALWAYS starts with the art and the quality of what we present, both in our artistic and our education work.

How has AXIS created a bridge between physically integrated dance and contemporary dance? How do you wish to educate those just learning about what you do?

—- AXIS is a contemporary rep company doing physically integrated work–for us there is no separation between the two. we’ve created the bridge by commissioning highly talented and respected choreographers, composers and designers. we educate by just doing what we do and doing it the best we can.

The performance takes place this Friday, October 7 at 8pm, Saturday, October 8 at 8pm; Sunday, October 9 at 2pm.

Where: Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice Street Oakland, CA 94612 Tickets: $10 – $22 Box Office 1(800)838-3006 http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/184101