4501

Ballet 5:8 Artistic Director Julianna Slager's 2019 premiere 4501

As our nation progresses in technology and prosperity, there remains an undercurrent of forgotten men and women.

These men and women have been convicted of crimes that land them in jail, away from the public eye and conscience. They are invisible. Currently, 2,298,300 men and women sit in the U.S. prison system waiting for release. But lost in the expansive numbers and systemic social issues is the humanity of each individual. Each one has a story. Each one has hopes and dreams. For this work, Slager interviewed several former felons and traces a common theme throughout their stories, in the journey of a single prisoner, Alfredo Garcia. Alfredo’s story twists and turns as his lust for rebellion and unrestricted freedom entraps him within the rigid structure of imprisonment. In the loneliness of his cell, he discovers truth on behalf of us all. No one is the refuse of society. No one deserves to be cast aside. No one is beyond hope. There is One who walks with him in the depths of sorrow and offers Alfredo true freedom, even in chains.

Premiere: March, 2019
Choreography: Julianna Slager
Costumes: Lorianne Robertson