about pointeworks
Our History
Pointeworks is a ballet company dedicated to fostering artistic excellence, innovation, and accessibility while creating meaningful year-round employment opportunities for professional dancers. Founded in 2023 by Artistic Director Sophie Williams, the organization was created to help bridge the gap between traditional ballet company seasons by providing paid performance, rehearsal, and creative opportunities during the off-season months when many dancers are left without work. Pointeworks also prioritizes amplifying diverse voices in ballet—particularly women choreographers and interdisciplinary collaborators—through the creation and presentation of new work across the United States.
Our inaugural performance took place on June 20, 2024, at the Baker-Baum Concert Hall at Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla, California. The sold-out debut featured world premieres alongside collaborations between dancers, choreographers, musicians, composers, costume designers, and visual artists. The performance established Pointeworks as an emerging new voice in ballet and marked the beginning of the company’s commitment to artist-driven, collaborative programming.
Since our debut, Pointeworks has reached a total audience of more than 3,000 people through performances, open rehearsals, panel discussions, and community engagement initiatives. Across our first two seasons, Pointeworks employed and collaborated with more than 70 artists nationwide, including dancers, choreographers, composers, rehearsal directors, lighting designers, musicians, filmmakers, and designers from organizations such as New York City Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Texas Ballet Theater, Philadelphia Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, the Met Opera and more.
In March 2025, Pointeworks expanded to New York City for its second season with performances at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Citigroup Theater. The NYC residency included performances on March 21 and 22, open rehearsals, and a public panel discussion featuring Ashley Bouder exploring representation and leadership opportunities for women in ballet. The New York expansion provided choreographers and artists with valuable visibility among industry professionals while further strengthening Pointeworks’ national artistic presence.
Later that year, Pointeworks returned to Southern California for its 2025 Summer Season, presenting performances in both La Jolla and Irvine. The June 2025 performance at Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center welcomed 407 attendees, while the Irvine performance drew 336 ticketed audience members alongside 167 complimentary tickets distributed to students, veterans, and first responders as part of the company’s accessibility initiatives. The season featured artists from major ballet companies across the country and was later recognized by Pointe Magazine as one of the “Top 25 Standout Performances of 2025.”
Community engagement remains central to Pointeworks’ mission. Through partnerships with organizations including UCSD Student Mental Health & Wellness, VetTix, schools, arts organizations, and local nonprofits, Pointeworks has expanded access to ballet through subsidized tickets, pay-what-you-can events, educational outreach, mentorship programs, and open rehearsals that invite audiences directly into the creative process. In 2026 alone, the company’s Open Rehearsal Series engaged more than 100 audience members through behind-the-scenes studio experiences designed to make ballet more approachable and accessible.
Now embarking on its third summer season in 2026, Pointeworks continues to expand its artistic footprint through performances, residencies, commissions, and educational initiatives spanning Southern California, New York City, Los Angeles, and Fort Worth. Season Three includes Nocturnes: Five Ballets at Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, featuring five works by women choreographers, live music collaborations, world premieres, and the Northern Hemisphere premiere of Andrea Schermoly’s Romeo & Juliet balcony pas de deux. Additional programming includes open rehearsals, mentorship opportunities for pre-professional dancers, interdisciplinary collaborations with composers and visual artists, and expanded community outreach initiatives.
As Pointeworks continues to grow, the organization remains committed to fostering innovation, elevating diverse artistic voices, supporting sustainable careers for dancers and creators, and ensuring ballet remains accessible, collaborative, and relevant for future generations.
Paige Nyman - Board Member of Pointeworks & principal dancer with texas Ballet theater
“It is important to me to be a part of this female led project because I trust in the quality and vision of the woman leading us. Sophie loves the world of ballet, and her female perspective creates a lens that is underrepresented, but nonetheless full of passion and purpose, worthy of being presented. Knowing that is the standard she sets, I know the other women brought into this project will match that energy and will create an environment unlike one I have ever experienced. Additionally, representation is imperative and supporting a goal that will create tangible change from the beginning is incredibly rewarding.”
