User:Jwslager/sandbox

Ballet 5:8
Ballet 5:8 is a 501(c)(3) ballet company currently located in Orland Park, IL and originally incorporated in Chicago, IL in 2012 by Artistic Director Julianna Rubio Slager and Executive Director Amy Kozol Sanderson. The mission of Ballet 5:8 is to engage communities in Chicago, the Midwest and across the nation in conversation of life and faith through innovative storytelling and breathtaking dance. Ballet 5:8 is based in the Chicagoland area and frequently performs locally in addition to touring nationally. The company consists of 20 dancers; there are over 80 performances of varying size and scale throughout a typical performance season.

Slager’s unique choreographic style has been the foundation of the ballet company’s development. Creating more than 45 original works in the first ten years, Slager experimented with the intersection of faith, innovation in ballet aesthetics and creative storytelling. Ballet 5:8 became a hub of artistic expression and creativity while delighting audiences with ballets that had a deeper purpose. The goal is to have the artistic intent travel beyond the closing of the curtain and spark discussions that would carry on for a lifetime.

History
Ballet 5:8 was founded in 2012 by Artistic Director Julianna Rubio Slager and Executive Director Amy Kozol Sanderson. Starting with five dancers alongside Lead Artist Lauren Ader Cumpston, Ballet 5:8 began with local performance opportunities around Chicago.

In 2013, Ballet 5:8 began a Trainee Program with six initial dancers. The program now accepts 15 dancers for a full year of professional classical ballet training and coaching alongside the professional company.

In 2014, Ballet 5:8 had its first theater performance with The Story of Job (choreographed by Julianna Rubio Slager) in Ft. Wayne, IN.

In 2016, Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer Julianna Rubio Slager created Scarlet, a film/dance hybrid production in collaboration with Preston Miller that toured across the United States. This was Ballet 5:8’s first major tour and received critical acclaim.

In 2018, Ballet 5:8 moved to Orland Park, IL to a 12,000 sq. ft. facility with the largest studio spaces in south Chicago.

In 2019, Ballet 5:8 launched a Second Company with the goal of offering more young artists the chance to dance and tour with the company.

In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the largest studio was transformed into a blackbox theater and recording studio, which allowed performances to continue online and to limited audiences even as theaters shut down worldwide.

In 2021, Slager created a full-length ballet that throws the atrocities of sex trafficking in the spotlight. Reckless was conceived and created while the company was on hiatus due to the pandemic.

School of Ballet 5:8
The School of Ballet 5:8 was founded alongside the professional company in 2012. The School has placed dancers in year-round programs and summer intensives of Pacific Northwest Ballet, School of American Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Kirov Ballet Academy, Ellison Ballet, Houston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and others. The School teaches Slager’s signature style based on the Vaganova technique, while incorporating some Balanchine principles and emphasizing a scientific and body-positive atmosphere. The School of Ballet 5:8 hosts a five week summer intensive at their studio facility in Orland Park, IL.

Ballet 5:8 also operates campuses in the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago and Valparaiso, Indiana.

Lead Artists

 * Lauren Ader Cumpston (Founding Dancer)
 * Lorianne Barclay-Robertson
 * Stephanie Joe
 * Brette Benedict
 * Stephanie Joe
 * Brette Benedict
 * Brette Benedict

Repertoire

 * Reckless (Slager 2021)
 * Golden Sessions
 * Still Waters
 * Butterfly
 * Of Splendors and Horrors
 * 4501
 * The Space in Between
 * The Mother
 * Four Seasons
 * Scarlet
 * 4501
 * The Space in Between
 * The Mother
 * Four Seasons
 * Scarlet
 * Four Seasons
 * Scarlet
 * Scarlet
 * Scarlet