{"id":423,"date":"2011-03-22T19:00:21","date_gmt":"2011-03-22T19:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.danceanywhere.org\/news\/?p=423"},"modified":"2011-03-23T19:19:25","modified_gmt":"2011-03-23T19:19:25","slug":"golden-gate-express","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.danceanywhere.org\/news\/2011\/golden-gate-express\/","title":{"rendered":"golden gate express"},"content":{"rendered":"

[original article]<\/a><\/p>\n

Dance Anywhere<\/h1>\n

by Chase S. Kmee<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A true entertainer is in no need of fancy footwork to achieve a memorable performance.<\/p>\n

On Friday afternoon, performers across the world celebrated \u201cDance Anywhere<\/a>,\u201d a simultaneous, unplanned public performance. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art hosted a performance of two dancers from AXIS Dance Company<\/a> in commemoration of the day.<\/p>\n

AXIS, an Oakland-based nonprofit founded in 1987, features physically disabled and able-bodied performers who specialize in physically integrated dance. This form of contemporary dance emphasizes the role of the disabled performer while also challenging people\u2019s perceptions of the human body and the traditional notion of dancing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was interested in challenging stereotypes when I joined AXIS,\u201d said Sonsher\u00e9e Giles, a dancer and associate director of AXIS. \u201cWe help educate people with our performances. It\u2019s not for the weak of mind and it\u2019s definitely unique.\u201d<\/p>\n

Giles, who has been with AXIS since 2005, often performs with Rodney Bell, who is paraplegic.<\/p>\n

\u201cDancing in public spaces is harmonic in a meditative way,\u201d Bell said. \u201cBut it can also be daring and edgy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bell is originally from Te Kuiti, New Zealand and played basketball for the country\u2019s Paralympic team from 1999 to 2006.<\/p>\n

In the spirit of Dance Anywhere\u2019s \u201cno boundaries\u201d philosophy, Giles and Bell performed \u201cTo Color Me Different\u201d to onlookers in the SFMOMA lobby.<\/p>\n

Bell was not confined to sitting. At times, he would leave his wheelchair and crawl across the museum floor, sometimes embracing his partner. Other times he would make use of the wheelchair, lifting it and utilizing his upper body strength, to perform an intricate pose. In turn, Giles would grab her partner and, while performing traditional dance, often used Bell\u2019s back as a springboard to emphasize her flexibility with Bell wheeling about\u2013all done in the name of artistic expression.<\/p>\n

The performance was without any musical or audio accompaniment.<\/p>\n

While many SFMOMA patrons milled about the lobby, others encircled the two performers, studying their physicality.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the observer, they\u2019re doing their thing and a group of people become their backdrop,\u201d said Ron Saunders, a photographer and art enthusiast. \u00a0\u201cI find it interesting how people don\u2019t become aware of activity happening in their immediate area.\u201d<\/p>\n

In regards to the day itself, 12 p.m. marked a flurry of spontaneous performances courtesy of the Dance Anywhere organization.<\/p>\n

Dance Anywhere arranged for the AXIS performance to perform at SFMOMA but many other individuals and organizations throughout the world also participated in the annual spontaneous performances.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople can just do whatever they want,\u201d said Dance Anywhere media director Janina Angel Bath. \u201cSome people dance on the street, some are spontaneous, others are conceptual.\u201d<\/p>\n

While other spontaneous dancing events occurred throughout the Bay Area and in San Francisco\u2013including a performance at United Nations Plaza- it was AXIS who captivated many within SFMOMA because of its alternative take of dance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not something that happens all the time,\u201d Saunders said. \u201cUsing that wheelchair as an extension of his body is truly amazing and very powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo by Sasha Tivetsky<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Photo details: Sonsheree Giles and Rodney Bell, dancers part of the Axis Dance Company, perform \u201cTo Color Me Different\u201d choreographed by Alex Keltley at the SFMoma on Friday March 18, 2011.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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