Norte Maar Announces Collaborators Of COUNTERPOINTE8

Norte Maar, a committed Brooklyn-based think-tank dedicated to the creation, promotion, and presentation of collaborations in the visual, literary, and the performing arts, together with Brooklyn Ballet, presents Counterpointe8, a curated performance series of new choreographic works by female artists and the pointe shoe. Six women choreographers have been paired with six female visual artists to collaborate and create both a new physical and visual work by each while investigating the process of creation, inspiration and development. The annual series will be presented February 28- March 1, at The Mark O'Donnell Theater at the Actors Fund Arts Center in downtown Brooklyn.

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 and artist Mary Schwab, Mari Meade and artist Margaret Lanzetta, JoVonna Parks and artist Maud Bryt, Maiya Redding and artist Emmaline Payette, and Eryn Renee Young and artist Niki Lederer. Additionally, the series will welcome London CounterPointe Alumna and UK-based choreographer, Deborah Kate Norris, who will present a special iteration of her recent choreographic work in a collaboration with artist Anna Hymas-a research piece as part of her PhD candidacy which focuses on ballets choreographed by women from a feminist and narratological perspective.

"Our program is designed to encourage and push female 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. "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," she continues. "With just two months to meet, brainstorm, and work through the creative process, the hope is to limit the opportunities for 'second-guessing' so that these new works will evolve spontaneously, and perhaps even chaotically. On a sad note: This year we mourn the loss of past artist collaborator, Sarah Bednarek (CP '16, paired with choreographer Ursula Verduzco). We will dedicate the February 29th performance to her sophisticated humor, her memory... and her birthday."

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department for Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

CounterPointe8 will be performed February 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m., with a post-performance reception with the collaborators, and March 1 at 4:30 p.m. The performance on February 29 will be dedicated to the memory of CounterPointe4 alumna artist Sarah Bednarek.

General admission tickets are $25, Students and seniors, $20. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at http://nortemaar.org

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