Jan. 5, 2025

Access to AXIS | Nadia Adame

When you combine brains and brawn, Nadia emerges as a wonderful role model for all in the world of dance and disability

Founded in 1987, California-based AXIS Dance Company has long been at the forefront of redefining dance and disability. Through world-class productions that challenge perceptions, AXIS quickly established itself as one of the first contemporary dance companies to integrate disabled and non-disabled dancers. AXIS has since toured extensively, performing in over 100 cities across the US, Europe, the UAE, and Russia, while also earning nine prestigious Isadora Duncan Dance Awards.

Current Artistic Director, Nadia Adame, began her international career as a disabled artist with AXIS in 2001 and has now returned to lead the company. An actress, writer, award-winning dancer, and choreographer, Nadia trained in flamenco and ballet at the Royal Conservatory of Dance and Drama in Madrid, Spain, before earning her BA in Theatre at the University of Colorado. Nadia was a company member with CandoCo, AXIS, and Compañía Y in Spain, further solidifying her reputation as a champion for inclusivity in dance.

Kickstarting a brand new season and month of Dance Politics, this episode explore the mission and vision of Nadia and the pioneering work of AXIS, uncovering the potential of the dance world to embrace diversity and inclusion more fully. Join us as we foreground dance in the background!

Soundtracks:

Birds - Tyler Twombly
Poison Ivy Yard Work - Uncle Milk
Harmony - Serge Pavkin
Upbeat Emotive - u_968xy4i23x

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Chapters

02:10 - Introduction

12:28 - Changes in the perception of disabled artists, both as a personal perception and a social perception.

27:30 - Disability as an empowering characteristic of movement and the human condition.

42:27 - Politics in dance education for disabled artists.

Nadia Adame

Artistic Director / Choreographer / Educator / Writer / Actress

My international work in Disability Arts has contributed to the integration of people with different abilities in social and performing arts communities throughout Europe and the USA.

My goal is to break down barriers and include people who are not represented in different fields: Artist with disabilities that are not seen on television or film, women that are not represented in high administrative positions, and people from different cultural backgrounds who often experience invisibility in their chosen professional fields.

My passion for working on diversity and inclusion enriches the workplace, giving companies and teams new perspectives and access to different ways of thinking.

I am also a screenwriter who enjoys telling unknown or unfamiliar stories.

My professional focus is on program development and management, inclusion and diversity, education, and creativity.