SCI Superstar: Judith Smith

photo credit: Jake Doolittle

Judith Smith, co-founder and the former artistic director of AXIS Dance Company for 21 years, one of the first integrated dance companies to exist, is a woman who’s redefined her life through her passions, from her love of wheelchair dance to her first love, horses. Read on for her story.

Why She’s Fearless?

You never would guess it took someone like Judith Smith 10 years to adjust to her injury, but it did. After Judith broke her neck in a car accident at the age of 17, she felt lost. Born and raised in Colorado, where the weather is definitely not the most wheelchair-friendly, she was drawn to California, eventually calling Oakland, California home in her 20s.

But Judith didn’t get right into wheelchair dance once moving there. It wasn’t even something she even knew about. She was a lifelong equestrian and show horse jumper, but after meeting fellow co-founders, Thais Mazur and Bonnie Lewkowicz, who exposed her to the possibilities of dance, she was drawn-in. Sometimes the best way to heal is through artistic expression.

AXIS was founded in 1987 and is still regarded as one of the most successful integrated dance companies in the world. They’ve won dozens of Izzy Awards and their dancers have performed on TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance?. AXIS uses dancers with disabilities and those without and creates purposely-designed choreography with dancers of all abilities. Judith danced with AXIS for many years, eventually becoming the artistic director in 1997.

What Judith has done with the company is huge. When she took control, she changed the focus of AXIS from employing only in-house choreographers to employing commissioned works with those outside the company, which brought tons of attention and awards through the years.

She also created the Dance Access Education Program, an outreach program to teach adults and kids with disabilities how to dance. Each year, they hire a handful of dancers to work full-time for their studio. In 2018, after 21 years of serving as artistic director, Judith decided to retire from AXIS. 

What’s Next?

After retiring from her work with AXIS, and wheelchair dance due to aging, she decided to focus on her other love, nature, and received her California naturalist certification. Missing her time with horses as well, she also works with Beyond The Roses Equine Rescue & Retirement, a nonprofit helping aging horses.

— Follow Judith on Facebook

— AXIS Dance Company