Ballet 5:8 Booking Brochure

BOOKING BROCHURE

Anna Hessel, People & Places Magazine

Ballet 5:8 Company in Julianna Rubio Slager's "Gospel Impressions"

Costumes | Lorianne Robertson

Picture | Kristie Kahns

“Ballet 5:8 is truly poetry in motion - precise, pretty, and thought-provoking dance at its finest.”

ABOUT

Ballet 5:8 is a female and minority-led premiere ballet company recognized for remarkable artistic excellence, innovation and beauty. Mexican American Artistic Director, Julianna Rubio Slager, creates original and dynamic ballet experiences drawing from life, faith, current events and diverse perspectives that tell relevant stories of the 21st century. Rubio Slager brings to life ballets that are relatable and accessible to all people, delighting both the seasoned balletomane and the first-time audience.

Since its founding in 2012, Ballet 5:8 has presented more than 45 critically acclaimed ballets forging a robust repertoire, engaging and captivating communities in Chicago, the Midwest and across the nation. Headquartered in Orland Park, IL, Ballet 5:8 is the only performing arts company in Chicago’s South Suburbs serving more than 400 students a year as a cultural staple in the community. The School also has a Beverly Campus on Chicago’s South Side raising up the next generation of aspiring artists.

ARTISTS OF THE COMPANY

Ballet 5:8’s professional company dancers engage communities in Chicago, the Midwest and across the nation in conversation of life and faith through innovative storytelling and breathtaking dance. The dancers hail from across North America, have extensive training in classical ballet, and share our passion for telling meaningful stories through the art form.

2022/23 Company Artists - Picture | Kristie Kahns

THE ARTISTS

JULIANNA RUBIO SLAGER

Artistic Director & Resident Choreographer

Ballet 5:8 A esident Choreographer, Julianna Rubio Slager, is originally fr higan. Rubio Slager began her dance training with Mrs. Lori Ladwig y under notable teachers from the New York City Ballet, the nd Puerto Rican National Ballet. Rubio Slager enjoyed dancing under Barbara Smith at Greater Lansing Ballet during her training, and also under Kathy Thibodeaux and Sol Maisonet at Ballet Magnificat. Upon moving to Chicago, Rubio Slager had the opportunity to work as a freelance artist, teacher and choreographer in the Greater Chicago area.

Rubio Slager was instrumental in the co-founding of Ballet 5:8 in 2012. Rubio Slager is known for her unique ability to engage audiences in discussions of life and faith through her choreography. She has created over 50 works in her decade at Ballet 5:8.

Ballet 5:8 tours nationally, bringing Rubio Slager's critically acclaimed ballets such as and to audiences across the nation. Rubio Slager has won several grants from the Illinois Arts Council and was selected for the DCASE Individual Artist Grant in 2015.

Between, Scarlet, Reckless, Butterfly, The Space in Compass

Rubio Slager is a groundbreaking figure within the field, as one of the few Chicana Artistic Directors and Resident Choreographers of professional ballet companies in the world. She hopes that her leadership and creative work at Ballet 5:8 will pave the way for other women and minorities in professional

ballet

Over the past decade, Slager has enjoyed training and mentoring the next generation of aspiring artists in the School of Ballet 5:8's Pre-Professional and Conservatory programs, and in the Ballet 5:8 Trainee Program. Her students have been awarded contracts, scholarships and placement with dance companies, colleges and training schools across the country.

Picture | Kristie Kahns

Ms Lorianne Robertson began gymnastics at age three, then later transitioned to ballet, finding it to be a beautiful arrangement of movement and artistry She received her early training at Portland Metro Arts and went on to study for four years in Portland Festival Ballet’s trainee program Her summers were spent around the country studying with Ballet West, Summer Dance Lab, Alonzo King Lines Ballet and Point Park University. In 2013, Robertson choreographed a piece entitled Inclus selected as the Bloom project winner.

LORIANNE ROBERTSON

Lead Artist, Head of Wardrobe & Resident Costume Designer

son has been with 5:8 since 2013 and was ted to Lead Artist in he has performed many and principal roles with 5:8, including principal n Julianna Rubio s "The Space in en," "Golden Sessions," editations." Robertson rked as Ballet 5:8's me Designer and Head drobe since 2014.

Orual (BareFace) Costume Sketches by Lorianne Robertson

Lorianne Robertson in Julianna Rubio Slager's Costumes | Lorianne Robertson - Picture Lana Kozol

Golden Sessions

VALERIE LINSNER

SOLO ARTISTS

SARAH CLARKE

LIBBY DENNEN

ELIZABETH MARLIN

COMPANY ARTISTS

SAMUEL OPSAL

JONATHAN BOSTELMAN

NATALIE CHINN

LEZLIE GRAY

KAYLA KOWACH

ELLINGTON NICHOLS

MELANIE RODRIGUES

SPONSORS & PARTNERS

Pints with Jack with David Bates

"It’s easy to feel the heart of this company and the passion that resonates from its mission. These are serious, talented dancers, and their director is not holding back."

- Lauren Warnecke, See Chicago Dance

REPERTOIRE

Want to watch the show before booking? No problem.

Request a screener link by emailing sfreeman@ballet58.org

Love has been the muse for all manner of myths, legends, movies and poems throughout the ages. Often held as the greatest of all virtues, love can even be said to be the bridge from mortals to the divine But is it truly so? Rubio Slager use the myth of Cupid and Psyche to examine love’s motivations, pitfalls and blind spots

The story begs us to look inward at our desire for love and to ask whether or not we honestly understand the depths of our own hearts We remain faceless until we are brave enough to look staunchly upon the ugliness of our duplicitous motives We become beautiful when we release jealousy and embrace the truly selfless love of the divine. Set in the Grecian fairytale world of Glome, audiences can expect to be gripped by the dynamic storytelling through the impressive athletic prowess of Ballet 5:8’s dance artists The full-length story ballet is brought to life by costume designer Lorianne Robertson and Scenic Design by Sarah L. Freeman.

CREATIVE COHORT

Ballet 5:8 has partnered with C.S. Lewis Scholars and Artists to bring BareFace to life. Thank you to the following collaborators.

Crystal and David Downing

The Wade Center

Andrew Lazo

C S Lewis Scholar

David Bates

Pints with Jack Co-Host

Karl “K.J.” Johnson

C.S. Lewis Institute Chicago

ARTISTIC COLLABORATORS

Miranda Rubio

Samuel Opsal

Sarah Clarke

James Wainwright

Libby Dennen

Lezlie Gray

Sophia Snider

Ellington Nichols

WATCH A CLIP

“[BareFace] pushes the boundaries of the craft, and presents something truly classic, timeless, and compellingly novel”

- Opening Night Audience Member

LOOK TO THE EAST

Premiere: September 2022

Choreography: Julianna Rubio Slager

Length: 14min

"Look to the East" highlights the calm, controlled power of the dancers. They embody hope. They move across the stage as those who contain a fountain of hope within themselves Even though darkness surrounds us and the sunrise feels distant, Look to the East reminds us of the faithfulness of the sunrise It begins with a subtle glow and then breaks across the horizon with a flash You can choose to look at the darkness, or you can choose to look to the east and fix your eyes on the hope that is coming

GOLDEN SESSIONS

Premiere: October 2020

Choreography: Julianna Rubio Slager

Music: John Adams, Olivier Davis & Ezio Bosso

Length: 45min

English only has one word for love, but Greek has four: Storge, Philia, Eros, and Agape Golden Sessions explores the various textures of the four Greek words for love, and how each one captures a unique aspect of our relationships

Music: Camille Pepin WATCH

GOSPEL IMPRESSIONS

Premiere: September 2021

Choreography: Julianna Rubio Slager

Music: Rachmaninoff

Length: 33min

Makoto Fujimura's exquisite paintings are the inspiration for Slager's work, Gospel Impressions. Fujimura's work is layered, colorful and nuanced Slager takes his work as a base and fleshes out both his inspiration and painting with movement and geometry that further illuminate the gospel stories

THE LOST WOMEN OF JUÁREZ

Premiere: 2023/24 Season

Choreography: Julianna Rubio Slager

Music: TBA

Length: approx 20min

In the border space between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, there is a deep horror that pervades the beautiful desert landscape. Over 500 women have disappeared while commuting back and forth from their homes in Mexico to the sweatshops just across the border in the U.S. These women are mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, and wives. Their voices deserve to be heard, and their names need to be remembered Their lives are just as rich, beautiful, tragic and chaotic as my own, and yet they are snuffed out by a nameless evil. We must remember not only how they died - but how they lived These are the Lost Women of Juarez, and they are not so different from me

-Julianna Rubio Slager

SOLACE

Premiere: September 2022

Choreography: Matthew Rushing

Music: Jessica Lauren Four, Archie Shepp, Jason Moran, Lars Danielsson, Leszek Mozdzer & Eric Harlan

Length: 17min

Matthew Rushing’s first work for Ballet 5:8, Solace, premiered in the 22/23 Season. Inspired by personal reflection on the last two years of life amidst a global pandemic, Solace demonstrates how peace can be found in even the most confusing of times.

"It's interesting to sit and watch something that you have gone through and is manifested through movement It's beautiful and it’s haunting We need to be able to go to the theater and identify, "That's me! That's how I feel I'm not the only one "

- Matthew Rushing, Associate Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre

WATCH A CLIP

DÍA DE LOS VIVOS

Premiere: 2021

Choreography: Julianna Rubio Slager

Music: Ezio Bosso

Length: 11min

Death does not get to be the final act in the story Death will have its day, but there is a life that goes beyond the grave Drawing from Slager’s Mexican heritage, Día de Los Vivos is an exploration of life that transcends death and offers freedom from the pain and loss in this life.

BUTTERFLY

Premiere: February 2019

Choreography: Julianna Rubio Slager

Music: Lorne Balfe, Gideon Klein, Hans Krasa, Thomas Oboe Lee, Clare Reitz, Alexander Shonert, Bedrich Smetana, Giuseppe Verdi

Length: 75min

Butterfly is inspired by the poems of I Never Saw Another Butterfly And the historical events of World War II. Amidst the horrors of the Holocaust, there were those who refused to let their spirits be broken From the art teacher who brought hope through creativity, to the woman who nurtured a tree as a symbol of life and freedom, to the conductor who used music to plead for help, these individuals showed the unbreakable human spirit. Though many perished, their legacy lives on - a reminder of the power of hope, resilience, and the unquenchable human spirit Let us take inspiration from their courage and strength, and strive to create a world where such atrocities are never repeated.

WATCH A CLIP

Jessica Lohr in Julianna Rubio Slager's "Butterfly" Costumes | Lorianne Robertson

Picture | Lana Kozol

Premiere: March 2021

Choreography: Julianna Rubio Slager

Music: Various

Length: 120min

"What a joy it was to witness these amazingly talented artists...and bring more discussion around the issues of trafficking and exploitation! It truly was like witnessing many of our residents' stories on stage So many similarities I so appreciated the amount of research and commitment to education done by the team. It shows! I know the time and effort put into that will go far beyond this production!"

As part of raising awareness for human trafficking, we have committed 5% of ticket sales from each show to a local nonprofit working with survivors.

WATCH A CLIP

- Meredith Hodge, Refuge for Women Chicago

Lezlie Gray & James Wainwright in Julianna Rubio Slager's "Reckless" Costumes | Lorianne Robertson

Picture | Lana Kozol

OUR PARTNERS HAVE INCLUDED

"Reckless is an inspired piece of storytelling [it] impacts intellectually and emotionally, challenging the audience to assess how they view persons caught up in this global scourge."

- Emma Santschi

THE LIVING ROOM SERIES

Premiere: September 2022

Choreography: Julianna Rubio Slager

Music: Various

Length: Approx. 30min

In the center of our homes, generations gather, wisdom is shared, and relationships are both built up and torn down. Through The Living Room Series, Ballet 5:8 recreates the cyclical stories that shape lives through meaningful, up-close, and exquisite dancing. Some are playful, and some are tumultuous, but each living room moment shapes the story we carry out into the world.

The Living Room Series is a dance experience designed for an intimate setting. Ballet 5:8 invites patrons to book and reserve special Living Room Series experience packages where artists of the company are brought directly into living rooms with customized, personalized and breathtaking performances complete with live piano music accompaniment and spoken word

Each individual performance is curated by Artistic Director Julianna Rubio Slager and choreography is informed by patrons’ unique life stories in their living rooms This experience is perfect for house parties, small groups, and intimate gatherings

WATCH A CLIP

Sarah Clarke & James Wainwright in Julianna Rubio Slager's "The Living Room Series" Costumes | Lorianne Robertson

Picture | Metts Photo

Company Artists in Julianna Rubio Slager's Costumes | Lorianne Robertson - Picture | Lana Kozol

Golden Sessions

"Ballet 5:8 is a company whose mission is truly based around love, compassion, and kindness. They use the values of their faith only in the most positive ways—to inspire their audiences, to motivate one another, and to provide a basis for their approach to dance and choreography. In a world wrought with violence and ignorance, it’s a pleasure to have artists like those at Ballet 5:8 spread their message of light."

- Kristi Licera, dancermusic.com

WHAT WE OFFER

Ballet 5:8 regularly tours and presents full-length works, excerpts and small group pieces that are tailored to a variety of topics

Our tour team travels with our own Marley dance floor, side lighting trees, 14,000 lumen projector, theatrical effects, and more to create stunning performances in every city.

We are able to run our own box office through AudienceView Professional or work with your company's box office programs and staff

Our team is built of passionate people committed to making a performance in your community a success. We work with your team to market the performance, build a launch team and create a great experience for our audiences.

Master Classes

To help engage with local dance students, Ballet 5:8 is available to teach classes for at all levels of ability Our master classes feature disciplines like ballet technique, pointe, Ballet 5:8 repertoire, and contemporary Attendees will get to interact with Ballet 5:8’s signature movement style, which is based in Vaganova technique, with a blend of Balanchine aesthetics, crafted by Ballet 5:8 Artistic Director Julianna Rubio Slager to fit the company’s vision for innovative storytelling and breathtaking dance.

Presenters can choose to partner with local dance schools to host master classes or can host the class on stage before the show Package deals for a master class and ticket to the performance can be very sucessful

FEES

The fees associated with each Ballet 5:8 production vary based on the length of work, number of dancers, and transportation costs for sets & props. Smaller works begin at $2,500 and range up to $10,000 for full evening productions. Times are calculated on the length of each piece of choreography.

15mn or Less | $2,500 Booking Fee + Venue + Room & Board + Travel

16-30min | $4,000 Booking Fee + Venue + Room & Board + Travel

30-60mn | $7,000 Booking Fee + Venue + Room & Board + Travel

Full Evening | $10,000 Booking Fee + Venue + Room & Board + Travel

Reach out to discuss commissions, collaborations, and sponsorships outside of these options

CONTACT

SARAH L. FREEMAN

PRODUCTION

sfreeman@ballet58 org

708 840 3686

"The company looked spectacular and mature as an ensemble, with movement that made the Ives symphonic excerpts sound like they were written just for this ballet. Each artist was distinctly expressive within collective interpretations... Though the swirling organza looks beautiful and the movement is on par with olympic athletes, concert dance is a language that can be learned and understood."

- Jeffrey Pierce, The Elgin Review

James Wainwright & Elizabeth Marlin in Julianna Rubio Slager's "Look to the East"

Costumes | Lorianne Robertson Picture | Kristie Kahns