About AXIS
The AXIS Cohort is Zion Dance Project’s pre-professional artistic development track for advanced-intermediate dancers who are ready to deepen their training, expand their movement vocabulary, and cultivate a mature artistic voice.
This cohort is designed for dancers who are serious about their development and desire a space where technical rigor, embodied movement research, improvisation, partnering, and artistic formation come together. AXIS is for artists who want to grow not only in skill, but in clarity, presence, versatility, and personal vision.
Rooted in Zion’s evolving movement paradigm, the cohort emphasizes contemporary training, choreography, improvisation, complex partnering, contact improvisation, and personalized artistic coaching.
Dancers in AXIS are invited into a process that develops the whole artist — body, craft, authorship, and direction.
This is not simply a training program.
It is a formation-based cohort for dancers preparing to step more fully into their next season as artists.
Vision for the 2026-2027 Cohort
Why AXIS?
AXIS represents the living center of movement — where awareness, expansion, integration, and somatic intelligence meet.
This cohort is for dancers who want to become more embodied, more articulate, more versatile, and more rooted in who they are as artists.
If you are ready for a season of deep growth, disciplined training, and artistic formation, AXIS may be your next step.
Cohort members will train in:
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Contemporary movement
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Choreography and compositional practice
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Improvisation and movement research
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Complex partnering and contact improvisation
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Embodied movement principles, including spirals, fascia awareness, and internal initiation
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Personalized artistic coaching toward developing one’s vision, goals, and direction as a dancer
Through this process, dancers will strengthen their technical foundation while expanding their range, adaptability, and confidence in embodied performance and creative process.
Who is this for?
The AXIS Cohort is for advanced artists and pre-professional dancers who:
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Have a strong technical foundation and consistent training background
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Want to grow in contemporary movement, partnering, improvisation, and creative process
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Are open to Zion’s embodied, fascia-informed, and movement-research-based approach
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Desire artistic mentorship and support in clarifying their path as a dancer
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Are ready for a committed, disciplined, and growth-oriented environment
This cohort is ideal for dancers preparing for professional pathways while also desiring a more expansive and embodied approach to their artistry.
A Note on Faith
Zion Dance Project is rooted in the Way of Christ — not as a restrictive system, but as a lived relational experience with God. Our work is shaped by a belief that God dwells with His people - within the body, in the world around us, speaking through creation and continuously inviting us into communion and wholeness rather than fragmentation.
We do not require dancers to hold specific beliefs, but we do invite respect for the spiritual integrity of the space. Many dancers encounter God here not through explanation, but through experience and presence.
Program Details
Dates, Schedule, and Classes
August 18, 2026 - May 1, 2027
Dallas, TX
Weekly Schedule
Tuesdays | 9:30 AM–1:00 PM
9:30–11:00 AM — Contemporary with Vincent (combined with the company)
11:00 AM–1:00 PM — Creative Process Lab / Repertoire Research
Wednesdays | 10:00 AM–2:00 PM
10:00–11:30 AM — Ballet with Abigail
11:30 AM–2:00 PM — Movement Lab with Vincent / Contact Improvisation
Thursdays | 9:30 AM–1:00 PM
9:30–11:00 AM — Contemporary with Kaylan
11:00 AM–1:00 PM — Choreography Lab / Partnering Practice
Additional Classes & Mentorship
In addition to weekly training, AXIS Cohort dancers will receive monthly enrichment through lectures and coaching sessions designed to support artistic maturity and professional development.
Topics may include:
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Directorship and leadership in dance spaces
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Understudy roles and professional responsibility
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Kingdom perspectives on dance career
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Artistic longevity and sustainability
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Vision-building for one’s path as a dancer
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These sessions are designed to help dancers not only train well, but think clearly and maturely about their future in the field.
Performance Opportunities
AXIS Cohort dancers will have opportunities to participate in:
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Winter Showcase
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Spring Showcase
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AXIS Concert
These performance opportunities are intended to support growth in process, performance presence, and artistic visibility throughout the season.
Admission
To be considered for ZDP's AXIS, applicants should submit an audition form presenting a headshot, resumé, interview video and dance reel.
The interview video is an introduction where you can share who you are and why you feel drawn to AXIS, allowing us to hear your heart and understand what you hope to explore if accepted into the cohort. Your dance reel should include compiled clips that showcase your movement quality, technical foundation, and artistic presence, offering insight into how you currently move and embody your dance practice. Applicants are also asked to provide a current headshot and a dance resume highlighting training background, higher education (if applicable), and performance experience.
Applications open: April 1, 2026
Applications close: June 30, 2026 (or until all spots have been filled)
Acceptance announcement: Once submitted, applicants can anticipate receiving audition results within two weeks via email.
Tuition
The total investment for AXIS is $5,000.
Deposit: $1,670
Due upon acceptance to secure your place in the program.
Must be completed by July 1.
Monthly Payments:
9 payments of $370, beginning August 1
Payments are processed on the 1st of each month.
Travel and Accommodations
AXIS participants are responsible for arranging their own travel, housing, and employment while living in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
Once your placement is secured, you will be invited to join our private BAND community page. This space is designed to help dancers relocating to DFW connect with one another, and explore potential shared housing options.
To further support this transition, dancers will also receive a curated resource guide with insight and recommendations for securing work in the area—including opportunities at local dance studios, coffee shops, fitness spaces, and more.
Throughout the season, the BAND page will serve as a central communication hub—providing program updates, rehearsal footage, and shared resources that support and archive the experience of the season.
Disclaimer: The BAND group is provided as a community connection resource. ZDP Leadership does not coordinate, arrange, or assume responsibility for housing, roommate matching, or individual housing agreements. All housing arrangements are made independently by participants.
Fequently Asked Questions
Is AXIS for me?
Do I need contact improvisation experience?
No prior experience is required — only a willingness to step into the process with curiosity and openness. Contact improvisation is introduced progressively, with clear guidance and an emphasis on safety, consent, and relational awareness, allowing dancers to explore connection and shared movement in a supportive environment.
What should I expect if this work is new to me?
Expect discovery. This work may feel different from traditional training models, inviting you into exploration through improvisation, somatic awareness, and relational movement practices. Come with curiosity, a willingness to try something new, and an openness to the journey — you don’t need to have it all figured out before you arrive.
I am not a professional dancer or training for a career in dance — do I belong?
Yes! Whether you are new to dance, returning after time away, or simply curious to deepen your connection to movement, there is a place for you here. Our Community Artist Experience is an open-level track designed for beginner to intermediate movers who want to explore dance in a supportive and embodied environment. For some returning dancers, the Emerging Artist Track may also be a good fit. If you are unsure which pathway is right for you, feel free to reach out at ziondanceproject.info@gmail.com — we would be happy to help guide you.
Is this program only for Christians?
No — everyone is welcome to the table. While Zion’s work is rooted in a Christ-centered perspective, Summer Series is designed as a space where artists from diverse backgrounds can gather, explore, and engage in meaningful exchange. We invite dancers who are curious about embodied practice, creative research, and authentic connection to join us and experience the joy, freedom, and community that shape Zion.