Summer with AXIS

Starting my summer (or ‘Juneuary’ as Judy refers to it☺) in the AXIS office has been both a pleasure and a welcomed challenge. As a dancer, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn about the business of running a dance company and AXIS is a great model.

I have to say, I love the location of the office. Not glamorous by any means but communal, pleasant and family oriented. Nearly every person I have passed on Alice Street has given me a smile, a ‘good morning’ or a ‘hello’. I have seen parents playing with their children on the sidewalk and just yesterday I witnessed the cutest pug I have ever seen running circles of joy around her laughing owner. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is about Alice Street, but it makes me smile.

Upon entering the office, I am again greeted with warm smiles from the tremendous group of women that work here. Mollie, Annika, Christy and Judy have welcomed me without reservation and it’s nice to feel like I can be myself in a new environment. I admire the way these women work together. I have seen them accomplish a lot, sometimes with only a little, and they do it cooperatively and respectfully. I have witnessed some challenging situations that could have easily gone sour but have been handled with ease and even humor. There isn’t any competition or ego indulging in this office, just teamwork at it’s finest.

My main task has been to assist Mollie with the Silent Auction we held on June 3rd of this month. It has been great experience to learn what is involved in fundraising and how to go about setting up an event like this (I’ve learned there’s a lot more than meets the eye). Generous AXIS supporters and Oakland business owners donated 72 wonderful items. Many of the tempting treats sat in the office for a couple of weeks, under and on top of my and Mollie’s desks and spread out over the file cabinets. I was especially attracted to the two bottles of Stag Leap wine that were constantly in my periphery. I tried to convince Mollie that only one bottle was necessary for the raffle and that we (staff members) deserved to drink the other in celebration of all our hard work. I think she seriously considered it for about 5 minutes☺

I enjoyed meeting AXIS supporters and board members at the auction and watching and participating in the assembly performance the company does with the Dance Access/KIDS! educational outreach program.

I’ve learned a lot already and it’s only my third week. I’m eager to work on more projects and I can’t wait to see the Yerba Buena performance on June 25th. Hoorah for my summer with AXIS!