Observations of an Oblivious Woman: AXIS Dance Company

On 30 June 2011, two members of AXIS Dance Company performed on the results show of "So You Think You Can Dance?" They were amazing! I clean house for the aunt of the woman who performed in the pas de deux. Sonsheree Giles and Rodney Bell were simply amazing. I re-wound the DVR and watched several times because I was so in awe of what they were doing.

The majority of the work I do is with patients with spinal chord injuries. To see a paraplegic express himself and show-off his physical abilities brought tears to my eyes. So many times I have heard a patient say, "I can't do such-and-such anymore." To see someone who never danced before they were injured do something so amazing was uplifting. Too many times we focus on what we think we can't do instead of seeing the possibility of attempting something new that pushes us past our mental and physical self-imposed limitations.

I understand what it is to not have a body that does what I want it to when I want it to. Since I stress-fractured a vertebra in my back, it takes me awhile to get fully upright in the mornings. I'm stiff, sore, and achy. But I have learned that if I don't make myself move it just gets worse. There are certain things I had to re-learn when I was doing my physical therapy so that I wouldn't re-injure myself. I have spent more than a few weeks at a time in bed, only being allowed to get up to shower and use the bathroom. I know how frustrated you can get and what a sense of joy you feel when you accomplish something you didn't think you would be able to do.

I also learned that I am capable of doing so much more than I thought I could. If you don't try something than you never know if you can do something. But if you say I can't, than you're absolutely right: you can't. I am so grateful that SYTYCD exposed AXIS to the public. They deserved the coverage. We are too obsessed as a culture with physical perfection and youth. There is beauty all around if you only open your eyes to see it.

In an article in the San Francisco Appeal, Sonsheree explains the piece she and Bell performed. It's worth reading. And you should click on the pas de deux video and watch their performance of "Color Me Different" from SYTYCD--truly inspiring!