CounterPointe9 To Premiere New Collaborations Between Female Dance Makers, Female Visual Artists And The Pointe Shoe

Norte Maar, a Brooklyn-based arts organization dedicated to the creation, promotion, and presentation of collaborations in the visual, literary, and the performing arts, presents Counterpointe9, March 11-13, a curated performance series of newly commissioned choreographic works by female dance artists. Now in its ninth year, this is the longest standing performance production exclusively featuring collaborations between female dance makers, the pointe shoe, and visual artists.

Returning to downtown Brooklyn's The Mark O'Donnell Theater at the Actors Fund Arts Center after a 1-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 8 women choreographers have been paired with 8 women visual artists to collaborate and create both a new physical and visual work by each - investigating the process of creation, inspiration, and development in live performance. New this year, in addition to live performance, is an installation of works by the visual artists, which will include a commissioned digital film collaboration in the lobby of the theater by a Philippine collaborative team.

Launched in 2012, CounterPointe has been celebrated for breaking new ground in expanding the ballet concert vocabulary, investigating new and historic territory, encouraging discussion, and creating a forum for women to take artistic risks. This winter the series will present collaborations by Julia K Gleich with artist Sharon Butler; JoVonna Parks with artist Noël Hennelly, Eryn Renee Young with artist Elizabeth Riley; Sarah Marazzi-Sassoon with artist Sophia Chizuco; Charly Santagado with artist Barbara Weissberger; Joan Liu with artist Traci Johnson and Kathryn Roszak with artist Anna Sidana. The whole program will be lit by designer Saúl Ulerio. Unique to this edition of CounterPointe, choreographer Tiffany Mangulabnan is paired with filmmaker Madge Reyes, the founder of Fifth Wall Fest the Philippines' first international platform for dance on camera. This Philippine team will produce a digital installation work using pointe. A complete list of bios can be found at: https://www.nortemaar.org/news/meet-the-choreographers-and-artists-of-counterpointe9

"Our program is designed to encourage and indeed push choreographers and artists towards exploring new ways of making and seeing their own art," explains Julia Gleich, co-founder of Norte Maar and originator of the CounterPointe Series. "By creating a tight deadline, the hope is to limit the opportunities for "second-guessing" so that new works evolve spontaneously, perhaps chaotically," she continues. "We believe there should be no hierarchy of art form in these processes, and that neither creator should inherently lead the collaboration. So with minimal interference we let each team finds its own path--always encouraging intrepid adventures into unknown territory."

"Counterpointe was such a wonderful, collaborative, fun, learning experience--from working with fresh talent, to exploring new movement, themes and props, to collaborating with badass female visual artists, and then participating in a fully produced, sold out show," adds past CounterPointe artist Mari Meade, Co-Founder, Moulin Belle; Choreographer, Artistic Director Mari Meade Dance Collective. "What more can you ask for?"

This program, which began in partnership with Lynn Parkerson and Brooklyn Ballet is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department for Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

General admission tickets are $25, Students and seniors, $20. Tickets can be purchased at https://nortemaar-counterpointe9.eventbrite.com and will be available at the door.

In compliance with required local health orders,

• Guests ages 12 and older will need to be fully vaccinated (as defined here) with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine AND present a government-issued photo ID such as a driver's license or passport. (Guests 12-18 may use a government-issued ID or school ID, with or without a photo.)
• Guests ages 5 to 11 may enter the theater providing proof of vaccination of one dose of an FDA or WHO approved vaccine.
• Guests are required to wear a mask at all times within the building.