The photo on the cover of the brochure - a dancer in motion, head flung back, arms stretching to the skies, skirt in mid-twirl - says many things about the festival it's advertising.

It says passion. Abandon. Excitement. Fervour. Fierceness. Intensity.

And, of course, chutzpah.

Yes, the festival in question is Chutzpah! The Lisa Nemetz International Showcase of Jewish Performing Arts, which runs from Feb. 10 through 27.

The multi-disciplinary festival brings local and international performing artists together in a celebration of dance, music and theatre that has grown to be one of the established features of Vancouver's performing arts calendar.

That's due in no small part to the efforts of Mary-Louise Albert, its artistic managing director - who happens to be a resident of North Burnaby and a passionate backer of the Heights neighbourhood.

She loves its walkability, its village feel, its many restaurants (for the record, a favourite is Bombay Bhel) and its sense of community.

Not, mind you, that she's spending a whole lot of time there these days.

She's rather wrapped up in the whole process of putting the festival together, working from the hub that is her cosy, cheerfully cluttered office in the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver.

It's an enormous undertaking, putting on a festival of such magnitude. But, for Albert, the challenge is an irresistible one.

"It's pretty competitive out there," she admits. "Having really high-level artists come to the festival, for me, is the way to stay alive."

When she took over the reins seven years ago, she set her sights on growing the festival to a new level. Her philosophy, she says, has always been: "Let's really support artists and present really good work that people don't normally get to see."

This year, as always, it's worked.

Among the musical offerings will be the Canadian premiere of Yemen Blues, a nine-member ensemble from Israel and New York that's headed by Israeli singer-percussionist Ravid Kahalani. They'll play Venue Nightclub on Granville Street Feb. 24.

Another Israel-New York ensemble, Balkan Beat Box, makes a return to Chutzpah! to play for the closing night party at the Commodore Ballroom.

"We've been able to give bands an anchor date for touring," Albert points out.

Not surprisingly, given Albert's background as a professional dancer, dance is always a big focus of the festival.

On the dance front, the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company from Israel promises to be another standout, with three shows at the Norman Rothstein Theatre Feb. 22, 23 and 24.

Dance fans will also have a chance to see Israeli choreographer-dancers Yossi Berg and Oded Graf, who - thanks to grants from the Schusterman Foundation and the Canada Council for the Arts - have had a five-week residency in Vancouver, working with Vancouver dancers Noam Gagnon, Justine Chambers and Ziyian Kwan.

Albert notes that Berg and Graf have been active in Vancouver while they're here, holding classes around the city and meeting local dancers during rehearsals at the Norman Rothstein Theatre.

"Connecting international artists with local artists, it's kind of the juice that keeps you going," Albert says with a smile.

On the theatre front, the festival has seen growth this year, with three productions that all have extended runs.

Falsettos, a Broadway musical directed by Burnaby's Peter Jorgensen, runs at the Norman Rothstein Theatre Feb. 12 to 20.

Visiting Mr. Green is being co-presented with Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver, running Feb. 10 to 27.

And, in the Jewish Community Centre's Wosk auditorium, Itai Erdal's How To Disappear Completely will run from Feb. 17 to 27.

The latter, Albert notes, is a brand-new production that's been developed based on Erdal's own life. In September of 2000, Erdal received a call telling him that his mother had been diagnosed with lung cancer and had only months to live. Then a recent film school grad, he dropped everything and flew back to Israel to spend time with her, documenting the final months of her life on film.

"It's so, so generous of him to share this with people," Albert says.

For Erdal, who's known as a lighting designer, this will be his first time performing.

Albert notes it's one of the joys of the festival, to be able to offer a space for new work.

"It's hard to get brand-new work and get it presented in a high-profile forum," she points out. "We're able to come and support them and partner with them. That's also really satisfying."

For Albert, it's important that the festival provide not only entertainment for the audiences, but also a rewarding experience for the artists.

She finds artists for the festival in many ways - on regular trips to Israel and New York, through other festivals and presenters, and through artists themselves - and always gets to know the people she brings in to perform. Artistic development with each artist is an important part of her mandate, she says.

It helps, she notes, that she has an understanding of the life of a performing artist - as a dancer, she has worked locally, nationally and internationally as a solo artist and with companies such as the Judith Marcuse Dance Company, Anna Wyman Dance Theatre and Karen Jamieson Dance Company.

She combines that experience with the management and business skills she honed during studies in arts management at Capilano University and business at the B.C. Institute of Technology to not only find the right talent but to present it in a format that will make the festival a success.

Which, by any accounts, she has - not only is she bringing in a consistently high calibre of performer, she's also branching out into new venues to attract new audiences around the city. The Commodore Ballroom, for instance, is new this year, as is Presentation House Theatre on the North Shore.

And, Albert notes, the festival has long since transcended labels - though it's a Jewish festival, its audience draws on all demographics and cuts across all cultural lines.

"It's very satisfying to take this eclectic range of Jewish culture out to all people," she says.

But Albert is quick to note that the success of Chutzpah! isn't hers alone - it's run by a team of professionals, with a production manager, publicist, marketing director and box office manager, plus technicians, working alongside her.

And, with the 2011 festival approaching, they're already well into preparations for 2012 - which Albert notes is about half programmed already.

Yes, she admits, it's a busy job. But she knows the work is worth it when she sees the festival grow and flourish each year.

"You have to be good to be out there," she says simply.

And she smiles in a way that says she won't quit being busy anytime soon.

CHECK IT OUT

What: Chutzpah! The Lisa Nemetz International Showcase of Jewish Performing Arts, Feb. 10 through 27.

Where: Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, Presentation House Theatre, Venue Nightclub, Commodore Ballroom, Scotiabank Dance Centre.

Tickets: By phone at the box office, 604-257-5145 or through Tickets Tonight, 604-684-2787, or online at www.chutzpahfestival.com or www.ticketstonight.ca.