On THIS - special Episode Of ACTIVE CULTURE - We go Backstage and Behind-The-Scenes of The The Latest Production from Chicago Area Based - BALLET 5:8 !! We Engage In the Lively Art Of Conversation with The Company's Artistic Director and Founder Juliana Rubio Slager and get The "Low - Down' on BALLET 5:8 - And - Their Latest Extravaganza - Entitled; "BUTTERFLY"!! The Show Will be Here in Milwaukee for ONE SHOW ONLY - on Saturday, February 22 @ PIUS XI Catholic High School - 135 N. 76th Street!! We Present an excerpt from THAT Show and Other Clips From Past Performances - including "BUTTERFLY'.

CHICAGO – Ballet 5:8 will visit Madison, WI, for the first time in April with Compass Project, a collection of one-act ballets on navigating cultural tension with compassion. The performance, which stretches across time and space to explore some of the most pressing topics of our day, will feature both Ballet 5:8 and local Madison ballet company Magnum Opus. Ballet 5:8, a 12-member professional company based just outside Chicago, is dedicated to engaging communities in conversation of life and faith through innovative storytelling and breathtaking dance. Now in its second season, Magnum Opus is Wisconsin’s newest professional ballet company. Two collaborative performances will be held on Saturday, April 27 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm at the Verona Area Community Theatre, 103 Lincoln Street, Verona, WI, 53593.

CHICAGO – Ballet 5:8 is set to debut in Des Moines this April with The Space in Between. Known in part for its innovative adaptations of classic literature in the form of classical and contemporary ballet, Ballet 5:8 has been recently called “spectacular and mature” by Jeffrey Pierce of the Elgin Review, and “these are serious, talented dancers” by Lauren Warneke of See Chicago Dance. Artistic Director Julianna Rubio Slager’s newest work to go on tour draws inspiration from The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis, exploring the nature of eternity and the joy found on its shores. Also featured in the program is Ballet 5:8 audience favorite Four Seasons of the Soul, set to a re-orchestration of Vivaldi’s timeless The Four Seasons. The single Des Moines performance will be held on Saturday, April 13 at 7:00pm at the Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50309. Attendees are additionally invited to attend a post-performance Q&A. Tickets are $35 for adults, $25 for students and seniors, and $15 for children.

CHICAGO – After debuting in Anderson in 2018, Ballet 5:8 returns to Anderson’s Paramount Theatre with The Space in Between. Known in part for its innovative adaptations of classic literature in the form of classical and contemporary ballet, Ballet 5:8 has been recently called “spectacular and mature” by Jeffrey Pierce of the Elgin Review, and “these are serious, talented dancers” by Lauren Warneke of See Chicago Dance. Artistic Director Julianna Rubio Slager’s newest work to go on tour draws inspiration from The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis, exploring the nature of eternity and the joy found on its shores. Also featured in the program is Ballet 5:8 audience favorite Four Seasons of the Soul, set to a re-orchestration of Vivaldi’s timeless The Four Seasons. The single Anderson performance will be held on Saturday, April 6 at 7:00pm at the Paramount Theatre, 1124 Meridian Street, Anderson, IN, 46016. Attendees are additionally invited to attend a post-performance Q&A. Tickets are $30 for adults, $22 for students and seniors, and $15 for children.

CHICAGO – Ballet 5:8 will visit the Atlanta area for the first time in March with Compass Project, a collection of one-act ballets on navigating cultural tension with compassion. The performance, which stretches across time and space to explore some of the most pressing topics of our day, will feature both Ballet 5:8 and local Atlanta dance collective Bluebird Uncaged. Ballet 5:8, a 12-member professional company based just outside Chicago, is dedicated to engaging communities in conversation of life and faith through innovative storytelling and breathtaking dance. Bluebird Uncaged, a dance collective, is dedicated to bringing hope and dignity through dance via artist development, workshops, live performances, international adventures, and multimedia. A single collaborative performance will be held on Saturday, March 30 at 7:00 pm at the Sara D. Williams Fine Arts Center inside Greater Atlanta Christian School, 1575 Indian Trail Road, Norcross, GA 30093.

CHICAGO – Known for its commitment to bringing innovative storytelling and breathtaking dance throughout the Midwest, Chicago’s Ballet 5:8 will visit the Memphis area for the first time in March with Compass, a collection of one-act ballets on navigating cultural tension with compassion. In Chicago, Ballet 5:8’s work has been called “exceptionally well done” and “these are serious, talented dancers.” The 12-member company’s Compass program stretches across time and space to explore some of the most pressing topics of our day. At times witty and satirical, and at times deeply emotional, Compass is full of athleticism, power, and poetry. A single Memphis performance will be held on Saturday, March 23 at 7:00 pm at the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts, 225 South Main Street, Memphis, Tennessee.

CHICAGO – Known for its commitment to bringing innovative storytelling and breathtaking dance throughout the Midwest, Chicago’s Ballet 5:8 will visit the Champaign/Urbana area for the first time in March with Compass, a collection of one-act ballets on navigating cultural tension with compassion. In Chicago, Ballet 5:8’s work has been called “exceptionally well done” and “these are serious, talented dancers.” The 12-member company’s Compass program stretches across time and space to explore some of the most pressing topics of our day. At times witty and satirical, and at times deeply emotional, Compass is full of athleticism, power, and poetry. A single performance will be held on Saturday, March 2 at 7:00 pm at the Urbana High School, 1002 S Race St, Urbana, IL 61801.

CHICAGO – Now in its 7th performance season, Ballet 5:8 returns to the Hemmens Cultural Center with The Space in Between. What if heaven is nearer than we think? What if we carry inside of us the darkness of hell? Artistic Director Julianna Rubio Slager’s newest work draws inspiration from The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis, using Ballet 5:8’s signature blend of innovative storytelling and breathtaking dance to explore the nature of eternity and the joy found on its shores. The single Elgin performance will be held on Saturday, February 16 at 7:00pm at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin, IL 60120. Attendees are additionally invited to attend a post-performance Q&A. Tickets are $30 for adults, $22 for students and seniors, and $15 for children.

ORLAND PARK, IL – Ballet 5:8 has moved its nationally-recognized professional performing company and dance education center from its seven-year home in Frankfort, IL, to a newly remodeled 12,000 square foot building in Orland Park, IL. The new location, just minutes from I-80 and LaGrange Road and a 35-minute drive from downtown Chicago, is a step up from the company’s previous home and includes five state of the art studios and a dedicated cross-training studio, plus added space and amenities for the company’s 13 professional dancers, expanding local student population, and administrative staff. The new and larger studios will allow Ballet 5:8 to continue to increase the size of its professional performing company - which was recently called the “suburbs’ best kept dance secret” by See Chicago Dance Editor Lauren Warnecke - over time. The new building will also foster continued growth for Ballet 5:8’s education programs for all ages which include hundreds of after-school classes, adult dance and fitness classes, monthly workshops for special needs dancers, and a range of intensives and conferences that attract students, choreographers and dance education leaders from across the country during the summer months. A ribbon cutting ceremony at Ballet 5:8’s new location, facilitated by the Orland Park Chamber of Commerce, will be held on Thursday, February 21 from 5-7pm and is open to the public.

CHICAGO – Now in its 7th performance season, Ballet 5:8 returns to Fort Wayne this November with The Space in Between. What if heaven is nearer than we think? What if we carry inside of us the darkness of hell? Artistic Director Julianna Rubio Slager’s newest work draws inspiration from The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis, using Ballet 5:8’s signature blend of innovative storytelling and breathtaking dance to explore the nature of eternity and the joy found on its shores. A single Fort Wayne performance will be held on Saturday, November 3 at 7:00pm at First Presbyterian Theater, 300 W. Wayne St. Attendees are invited to attend a post-performance Q&A. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for students and seniors, and $12 for children. 

Every so often, Ballet 5:8 ventures into Chicago, sharing what might be the suburbs’ best kept dance secret. But it won’t be long until Ballet 5:8 is a secret to no one. The seven-year-old, faith-based professional ballet company is a decidedly robust operation serving dance fans and students across the south suburbs of Frankfort, Palos Heights and Beverly, and in Valparaiso, IN.