About MUJERES

A shifting terrain of myth, memory, and reflection, MUJERES invites us to meet the many versions of Chilean poet and Nobel Laureate Gabriela Mistral’s Locas Mujeres.

With choreography by PARA.MAR founder and director Stephanie Martinez, this newest and most ambitious creation becomes a ritual of endurance, fragmentation, and return — invoking the many selves a woman carries, abandons, and reclaims across time.

Through evocative movement and an expansive visual landscape, we hope for MUJERES to embody the search for identity, resilience, desire, and belonging — an act of remembrance and renewal that we hope will resonate beyond this moment and endure across generations.

An Invitation to Support

Bringing MUJERES to life requires extraordinary investment in artists, production, and community.

Unlike repertory works, this full-length ballet is being built through a multi-stage process.

Its first stage — an exploratory residency at Ragdale, supported by the Morrison-Shearer Foundation — is already complete, laying the creative foundation for what is to come.

Now the work advances through its next phases: the private studio showing this October at the Katten Landau Studio, followed by the Logan Center Preview Production in April 2026, and culminating in its world premiere next fall.

Your support as an underwriting partner will help carry MUJERES forward from this early vision into its full realization on stage — strengthening not only this project, but PARA.MAR’s broader mission to empower diverse voices in contemporary ballet.

Your partnership sustains five pillars of impact:

Creation - Supporting founding director and choreographer Stephanie Martinez, the exceptional artists, designers, and collaborators shaping MUJERES.

Production – Enabling bold new staging, costumes, music, and technical innovation that match the depth of Mistral’s poetry.
Access – Ensuring that high-caliber dance experiences are available to all, through student matinees, neighborhood nights, donation-based performances, and radical accessibility initiatives.
Community – Building connections across Chicago’s neighborhoods, bringing ballet into traditional theaters and nontraditional spaces alike — wherever community happens.
Longevity – Investing in the visibility and sustainability of diverse artistic voices and female leadership in contemporary ballet, ensuring that PARA.MAR continues to be an ambassador for representation and cultural connection in Chicago and beyond.

With the foundation laid, your partnership ensures that what began at Ragdale grows into a landmark ballet — one that carries Gabriela Mistral’s words into the 21st century, affirms PARA.MAR’s vision for daring, inclusive dance in Chicago, and creates a work that will endure across generations.

Support diverse voices in contemporary ballet with
a contribution to MUJERES.

- Early pre-sale access to ticket sales to Phase 3 at the Logan Center at the University of Chicago, Gala invitations, and exclusive behind-the-scenes PARA.MAR content
- Recognition as a Mover & Shaker on PARA.MAR’s website and select donor e-blasts
- Invitation to Phase 2 Work-in-Process Showing & Reception (October 9, 2025 – Katten Landau Studio, Chicago) — an intimate preview of choreography in progress, with conversation and reception
- Early pre-sale access to ticket sales to Phase 3 performance at the Logan Center, Gala invitations, and exclusive PARA.MAR content
- Recognition as a Creator & Connector on PARA.MAR’s website, digital program, and donor e-blasts
- Two (2) reserved seats at Phase 2 Work-in-Process Showing (early choreography + conversation with artists)
- Recognition during the pre-show introduction at Phase 2
- Two (2) reserved seats at Phase 3 Logan Center Preview Production (April 2026 – the first fully staged performance in a proscenium theater)
- Recognition as a Community-Builder with logo/name placement on PARA.MAR’s website, printed & digital program, and donor e-blasts
- Two (2) reserved seats at Phase 2 Work-in-Process Showing (October 2025)
- Verbal recognition during the pre-show introduction at Phase 2
- Two (2) VIP seats at Phase 3 Logan Center Preview Production (April 2026)
- Exclusive backstage tour and pre- or post-show cocktail with the creative team
- Featured recognition as a Vision Shaper with logo/name placement on PARA.MAR’s website, printed & digital program, and donor e-blasts
- Two (2) reserved seats at Phase 2 Work-in-Process Showing (October 2025)
- Verbal recognition during the pre-show introduction at Phase 2
- Four (4) VIP seats at Phase 3 Logan Center Preview Production (April 2026 – first full technical staging of MUJERES)
- Exclusive backstage tour and pre- or post-show cocktail with the choreographer, cast, and creative team
- Signed program from the dancers of MUJERES
- Featured recognition as an Innovator with prominent placement on PARA.MAR’s website, printed & digital program, donor e-blasts, annual report, and onsite signage
- Two (2) VIP seats at Phase 2 Work-in-Process Showing (October 2025)
- Verbal recognition during the pre-show introduction at Phase 2
- Exclusive private studio showing + conversation with choreographer Stephanie Martinez and collaborators
- Two (2) seats at the April 2026 Gala (Logan Center Penthouse)
- Six (6) VIP seats at Phase 3 Logan Center Preview Production
- Exclusive backstage tour and pre- or post-show cocktail with the creative team
- Signed program from the dancers of MUJERES
- Featured recognition as a Culture Shaper with prominent placement on PARA.MAR’s website, printed & digital program, donor e-blasts, annual report, onsite signage, and verbal acknowledgment from the stage
- Five (5) VIP seats at Phase 2 Work-in-Process Showing (October 2025)
- Verbal recognition during the pre-show introduction at Phase 2
- Exclusive private studio showing + conversation with Stephanie Martinez and collaborators
- Two (2) premium seats at the April 2026 Gala (Logan Center Penthouse, with featured placement)
- Ten (10) VIP seats at Phase 3 Logan Center Preview Production (April 2026 – first public staging of MUJERES in a professional performance hall)
- Exclusive backstage tour and pre- or post-show cocktail with the creative team
- Signed program from the dancers of MUJERES
- Featured recognition as a Wayfinder with premier placement on PARA.MAR’s website, printed & digital program, donor e-blasts, annual report, onsite signage, and verbal acknowledgment from the stage

Make a gift by Check.

If you would prefer to make a gift to PARA.MAR Dance Theater by check, please make check payable to:

PARA MAR DANCE
1720 S. Michigan Ave #202
Chicago, IL 60616

and you will be sent receipt and acknowledgement letter for your gift. PARA MAR DANCE is a 501(c)3 organization and any contribution is tax-deductible under federal and state law. EIN: 88-3869222

Questions?

If you have any questions, opinions, or ideas about how to support PARA.MAR Dance Theatre, please get in touch with us by email at info@paramardance.com. We welcome all contributions!