Miranda Rubio | Dry Bones

A celebration of our hope in God, Dry Bones tells the epic ancient story of the Valley of Dry Bones from the Book of Ezekiel. Hear what the Ballet 5:8 artists have to say about this innovative new ballet by Artistic Director Julianna Rubio Slager.

Miranda Rubio, Apprentice

Q: What has stood out to you the most about the choreography of Dry Bones? How is Dry Bones different from other ballets in the Ballet 5:8 repertoire?

A: Ballet requires an incredible amount of strength to properly execute at the professional level. We're used to using muscle, bone and tendon in tandem to create line and movement. With Dry Bones much of that has to change. To create movement that looks like bones rattling on their own is a choreographic feat, it makes the movement vocabulary entirely unique from the rest of our repertoire. That's one thing I really love about more experimental work, it pushes all of us to the next level of what is possible to evoke through movement.

Q: What does the story of the Valley of Dry Bones mean to you? How do you convey this meaning through your dancing?

A: It's truly a story of dead things coming back to life. There are a few places where you hear about miracles of raising the dead. None of them talk of long gone old bones, regrowing muscle and tendon to be whole again. It's an incredible testament to how God can create new life from even the most far gone things. While dancing each movement slowly starts to be more and more human, it's the process of revival.

Q: Why should audience members see Dry Bones?

A: It has an exhilarating intensity that really draws you in as viewer. I'd say it's the ballet equivalent of an action movie. It doesn't have the pomp and circumstance of your typical classical work, but it also steers clear of grotesque or disturbing images that can leave a bad taste with audiences. It has the perfect balance of strange but with a purpose that will ultimately leave you questioning is there truly anything beyond what God can bring back to good.

To learn more, visit ballet58.org/fallseries.