Whatever sensation Axelsen discovers in her dancing, it leaves one wishing to see what she sees, and feel what she feels. She invites you to follow along with a warmth and openness. And the training is there (primarily via Merce Cunningham), though her self-assurance hides the difficulty of the more extreme choreographic elements. During a series of turns in Molissa Fenley and Company’s recent work at the David Rubenstein Atrium, Axelsen changed her focus, or “spot,” after almost every rotation, all the while traveling through a mass of bodies. She can balance on demi-pointe, one leg lifted, for what seems to be like minutes on end. Her unflinching execution of these feats effectively silences their technical demands; to the untrained eye, they might look ordinary. No matter the choreography or setting, her range allows her to explore the extremities of speed and scale, from the physically intensive to the subtlest of motions.
- The Body as Semi-transparent Envelope Profile in the Brooklyn Rail by Madison Mainwaring
A transition that could pierce the moment only extends it: Axelsen swiftly twirls into view from the right wings, Fenley twirls off, and the younger dancer seamlessly begins Current Piece #2, a grounded, patient solo. Axelsen invests even the most complex movements with an air of familiarity and ease: she might pinwheel her arms around her upper body while—on an entirely different axis—swinging her legs in elegant, long lines.
-The Company She Keeps by Erica Getto, a review of Molissa Fenley’s work, in the New York Review of Books
One of the women, Christiana Axelsen, is especially lovely. With her pixie haircut, gentle musicality, and smiling demeanor, she adds a layer of warmth to the proceedings.
- Review of Christopher Williams’ Jeux in the Fjord Review, Marina Harss
Though each offering in Fenley’s buffet leaves a distinct impression, De La Lumière, Entre les Lampes is a morsel worth savoring. In it the choreographer fleshes out two duets to a newly composed piano score by Philip Glass, played live by Michael Ferrara. Glass’s signature cascades of short phrases circle and build in subtly iterative melodic crescendos tailor-made for the cadences of Fenley’s run-on choreographic sentences. Clad in muted tones of blue, the pairings — Axelsen and Lynch followed by Lynch and Ward — bloom with gracious sensitivity. Amid their skimming and soaring, simple gestures of rare beauty catch the heart: a hand laid softly on the shoulder, palms gently open to hold something precious.
- Review of Molissa Fenley’s De La Lumière, Entre le Lampes in the Dance Enthusiast
“Cosmati Variations” was danced by the terrific Axelsen and Ward, to John Cage’s composition “Third Construction,” a sound scape of percussion that ranged from drums to rain stick to what sounded like the clattering of pans. The dancers orbited each other with a sense of play, their only physical contact was a light hand placed on a shoulder and holding hands during some unison work. Performed in bright light, the dance was all about the path the footwork makes on the floor—specifically the serpentine mosaic floors found in Roman churches and cathedrals.
- Review of Molissa Fenley’s Cosmati Variations in the Fjord Review, Marina Harss