Abstract
Through the lens of Disability Studies Theory and performance scholarship, this thesis examines the diverse approaches of three contemporary dance-based performance companies that integrate disabled and nondisabled performing artists. I demonstrate how performances by AXIS Dance Company (Katie Faulkner’s Decorum), Dandelion Dancetheater (Eric Kupers and Neil Marcus’ A Walk in the Park), and The Olimpias Performance Research Projects (Journey to the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin) challenge traditional exclusionary performance aesthetics and societal views through artful, subtly political performances. I contend that these performances add vital “voices” to performance, provide much-needed critiques of Ableism, and illustrate practices and aesthetics that create pathways for more inclusive performance.