CounterBalance: Emerging Artist Showcase

The Emerging Artist Showcase is an evening of dance works created by local early-career disabled choreographers presented in conjunction with CounterBalance, Chicago’s annual physically integrated dance concert. This showcase honors the important work of CounterBalance founder Ginger Lane to mentor young disabled dancers in Chicago by creating a much-needed platform for the work of a new generation of disabled artists. Planned for the 15th anniversary of the original CounterBalance, the Emerging Artist Showcase responds to the powerful need for development of early-career disabled artists who so often face isolation and lack opportunities to develop their choreographic voice in a supportive, disability-centered environment. 

Co-curated by Ginger Lane and Maggie Bridger, alongside their collaborator Sarah Najera of MOMENTA Dance Company, the Emerging Artist Showcase will commission 4-5 self-identified disabled artists to develop new work which will be shown during shared bill at Columbia College Chicago’s Dance Center in October 2026. 3AP funds directly support paying these artists at this crucial moment in their artistic development, as well as providing access support & services for performances and in-process showings. In addition to your financial support, artists chosen for the showcase will receive mentorship from Ginger and Maggie, who will provide artistic feedback and advice on accessible performance practices. We imagine the choreographers selected for the showcase as a cohort, engaging in a shared learning experience, while also providing the important platform that the CounterBalance anniversary programming provides.

Donors can experience the Emerging Artist Showcase in multiple ways, including exclusive invitations to our planned in-process showings and the final showcase, planned for October 17, 2026 at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago. This new showcase marks an exciting opportunity to continue to build and sustain Chicago’s disability dance field while attempting to address some of the unique barriers emerging disabled choreographers face. By providing mentorship and resources, and allowing them to create work in a supportive, disability-informed space this program amplifies and nurtures their artistic voice. CounterBalance: Emerging Artist Showcase seeks to build a community of disabled dancemakers who may learn from one another’s artistic practice while simultaneously galvanizing around their shared experience. Join us to bring CounterBalance: Emerging Artist Showcase to life!