2020/21 Season in Review | Valerie Linsner

Hear from Ballet 5:8 Company Artist Valerie Linsner as she reflects on her experiences during the 20/21 Season.

Valerie Linsner in Julianna Rubio Slager’s Reckless

Pick one word to describe the overall season. Why?

Challenging—but this isn't negative! Every piece of repertoire we set, beginning with Mo(u)rning and Mercy, followed by Golden Sessions, Dry Bones, and most recently, Reckless, challenged me to grow technically, artistically, and/or personally. Likewise, my fellow co-workers challenged and inspired me immensely this year, and I am so honored to work with them and call them friends. Because of them, our faithful leaders, and our gracious God, we were able to rise to greater heights as a team. 

Can you share a favorite moment from on or offstage?

A major highlight was returning to the Studebaker Theater for the world premiere of Reckless in March. It had been a little over a year since stepping foot on that stage -- let alone any stage, since COVID-19 hit -- and the anticipation leading up to that first day back was high! We've been so blessed to be able to perform in outdoor and black-box theater settings all season long, but that weekend was an extravagant gift. 

Out of all the works you performed this season, does one stand out as the most meaningful or most notable for you personally? Why?

Reckless is a ballet I will forever be thankful to have been a part of, because like so many of our other ballets, it brought me to a place of growing in compassion toward people I may not understand or agree with. I had very limited knowledge of what human trafficking was and how it works before researching for this ballet, and now that I know so much more, my heart has been pricked and softened to the plight of the victims all around us, as well as to those who work in the sex industry. Instead of casting judgment, we must seek to understand. Only then can we truly love. 

Is there a particular quote or idea that has been inspirational to you this season?

"Rooted and established in love" is a phrase from Ephesians 3:17 that I kept coming back to throughout the process of Reckless. It was a comforting reminder of 1) my secure identity in Christ, and 2) that Christ is the source of any and all power that comes through our stories and movement.

What are you up to this summer?

After some rest and adventuring, I will teach at the Ballet 5:8 Summer Intensive!