Leadership Team
Nadia Adame
Artistic Director
Nadia Adame is a Spanish multidisciplinary award-winning artist with a spinal cord injury. She studied Ballet & Flamenco at the Royal Dance Conservatory of Madrid and has a BA in Theatre from the University of Colorado. She was a company member with AXIS (2000-2003) and Candoco Dance Company (2007-2008). In 2004, she co-founded and was the Co-Artistic Director of Compañía Y in Spain, a multimedia and performance collective. Nadia’s credits include dance, theatre, commercial, and independent film projects in the UK, Spain, US, and Canada.
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Danae Rees
Managing Director
Danae brings many years of experience across a variety of dance sectors. Born and raised in Brisbane, Australia, she holds a double Bachelor’s Degree in Performing Arts (Dance) & Education (Secondary) from the Queensland University of Technology. She has provided dance instruction, training and program management to public schools, studios, universities, and dance organizations in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
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Katherine Nauman
Engagement Project Manager
Katherine Nauman (she/her) is a Horton technique instructor, performer, and arts administrator. Katherine rejoined AXIS Dance Company in 2021 after serving as its Rehearsal and Engagement Director in 2018. She lives in New York City where she is on faculty at The Ailey School and STEPS on Broadway. While living in San Francisco, Katherine was the Director of the Alonzo King LINES Dance Center, Assistant Professor for LINES Ballet/BFA at Dominican University, faculty for the LINES Ballet Training and Summer Programs, and guest teacher for the El Cerrito HS Dance Program. In the Bay Area she performed with Ray Tadio, SOULSKIN Dance and Mary Carbonara Dances.
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Octavia Rose Hingle
Marketing Project Manager
Octavia Rose Hingle (they/he) is an East Bay born & raised choreographer, performing artist and cultural producer with a physical impairment. Their performance and installation work centers access as an aesthetic portal into visions of past and future ancestors that travel through the present moment. They are the founder and co-producer of Crip Ecstasy, a nightlife event series that centers accessibility and disability culture; conjuring new blueprints for what a club space can be.
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Joseph Hernandez
Rehearsal Director
Joseph A. Hernandez (he/him), from Chicago, Illinois, began his movement training with Shotokan Karate. He received his formal dance training from Western Michigan University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a BFA in Dance. Joseph’s professional credits include ODC/Dance, Kate Weare Company, The Metropolitan Opera Ballet, LED Boise, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, LA Opera, Ballare Carmel, Wellspring/Cori Terry & Dancers, and River North Dance Chicago. Notable performances include Broadway’s revival of West Side Story, Miss Gay America’s 2019 winner Andora Te’tee, and the opening ceremony of Prince Harry’s Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany with AXIS. Most recently, he was nominated for an Isadora Duncan Dance Award for outstanding performance in choreography by Natasha Adorlee. As a choreographer, Joseph has had his work formally presented at festivals, companies, and universities nationwide. In addition to dance, Joseph enjoys cat snuggles, camping, rock climbing, and spending time at the racetrack.
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JanpiStar
Company Dancer
JanpiStar (they/them/Janpi) was born and raised in Puerto Rico. They got involved with art for the first time through the music at the Fine Art School Anita Toro Hernández as a 12-year-old playing the clarinet. In 2012 Janpi began their Bachelor Degree in Drama at the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras and had the opportunity to work with Viveca Vazquez, Carola Garcia and Petra Bravo.
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Alaja Badalich
Company Dancer
Native to Eugene, Oregon, A(laj) Badalich (she/they) trained at Oregon Ballet Academy and University of North Carolina School of the Art’s modern high school program. In 2018, she began her dance studies in San Francisco at the Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program under the direction of Karah Abiog.
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Zara Anwar
Company Dancer
Zara Anwar (she/her) was born and raised in Columbia, MD. She started dancing at a small studio under the direction of former Joffrey Ballet company member Renee Meyer and former Kansas City Ballet dancer Angela Walker. She graduated from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA Program at Dominican University of California summa cum laude with Honors in May of 2020. Throughout her college career, Ms. Anwar has trained with Post:Ballet, the Cambrians intensive with Benjamin Holliday Wardell, Hubbard Street Dance intensive at the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance at USC, Vim Vigor, Colorado Conservatory of Dance, and Oklahoma City Ballet on scholarship.
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David Calhoun
Company Dancer
David Calhoun (they/them) was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. They spent their summers training at LINES Ballet, Ballet West, Kansas City Ballet, Hubbard Street, Martha Graham and Bates Dance Festival. David obtained their BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography, Emphasis in Ballet and Modern, from the Conservatory at University of Missouri – Kansas City in 2017 on full scholarship. After graduation, David moved to San Francisco to join dawsondancesf under Gregory Dawson. Since residing in SF they have danced professionally with ODC/Dance, SFDanceworks, Ballet22, Wylliams/Henry, Concept o4 and other Bay Area choreographers. David teaches yoga and dance to all ages with the intention to help others connect to the joy and gift of movement.
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Julie Hasushi
Company Dancer
Julie Hasushi is dancer, actress and publicist from São Paulo, Brazil. She started dancing at the age of 9 with the dance company Arte Sem Barreiras, and then danced with Bombelela Dance Company for over 20 years. At Bombelela, she received an award for Revelation Artist, and participated in major events including: A Tour of the Paralympic Torch at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, and representing Brazil at SIDF (Sibu International Dance Festival) in Malaysia.
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Anna Gichan
Company Dancer
Anna Gichan (she/her) is a Deaf contemporary dancer from NJ with a background in gymnastics, yoga and circus. She received her BFA in Dance from Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts.
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Clairey Evangelho
Apprentice Dancer
Grown in the San Joaquin Valley and transplanted to Oakland, Clairey has been dancing and working in special education since 2020. Clairey graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.S. in Environmental Justice and Embodiment. She’s recently had the pleasure of being in process and performance with Lizz Roman and Dancers, Água Doce Dance Company, Amy Lewis, and Carol Kueffer-Moore. Clairey’s artistry has been shaped by Gaga, site-specific work, Contact Improvisation, Silvestre Technique, and her autism.
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