Jessi Virtusio

Daily Southtown
April 06, 2022

10FOLD from April 23-24 in Orland Park includes “Interplay,” which premiered in 2016 and features Ballet 5:8 company solo artists Samuel Opsal (from left), Elizabeth Marlin and Libby Dennen. Julianna Rubio Slager choreographed the piece. (Kristie Kahns).

A desire for more diversity in dance led Julianna Rubio Slager to found Ballet 5:8 in 2012 in Orland Park with Amy Kozol Sanderson.

Ballet 5:8 grew in 2014 to include School of Ballet 5:8 in residence at St. Paul’s Bible Church in Chicago’s Beverly community to serve Oak Lawn, Chicago’s Morgan Park community and Evergreen Park and in 2016 to include a School of Ballet 5:8 in Valparaiso, Indiana.

“It’s been such an incredible experience,” said Slager, artistic director and resident choreographer for Ballet 5:8.

“In the beginning we really didn’t have any huge funding source or any big name to stand behind as an organization. It was truly a labor of love.

“To go from having this company as an idea and to be at the 10-year mark and have a budget of over a million dollars and over 30 dancers is unbelievable.”

Ballet 5:8 closes its 2021-22 season with 10FOLD April 23 and 24 in Orland Park. Billed as celebrating a decade of beauty and innovation, the program features works choreographed by Slager and a talkback with artists following each performance.

Pieces include 2016′s “Interplay” with a debate between the characters of Wisdom and Folly; 2021′s “Día de Los Vivos,” which Slager said is based on her experience with clinical depression; and the world premiere of “Toda Raba,” which Slager said means “Thank you very much” in Hebrew.

“My grandparents are Messianic Jews. I grew up going to synagogue and being immersed in that culture and tradition,” said Slager, a former Beverly resident who now lives in Tinley Park.

“I was thinking about how much this company means to me. I feel extremely privileged to be where I am. I wanted to create this big thank-you card to the dancers, staff, board of directors and our incredible audience — all of the people that have supported us and loved us on this journey.”

Slager noted that the 25 performers in 10FOLD include all the professional dancers from Ballet 5:8′s company, several from the Second Company of young artists and a few aspiring professional dancers from the Trainee Program.

“10FOLD is a really neat program because you get to experience a lot of short stories. You won’t see one large ballet but you’ll see eight smaller performance pieces. Each one of them has a slightly different story and perspective,” she said.

“A ballet I’m excited about is ‘The Mother,’ which is based on the poem by Gwendolyn Brooks and is one of my favorite works we do. Lorianne Robertson is the lead. She tells the story of Gwendolyn Brooks’ poem about loss of children in such a powerful way.

In addition to revisiting 2017′s “The Mother,” 10FOLD includes what Slager said is another ballet she is excited to bring back — 2014′s “Four Seasons of the Soul,” which was re-created in 2018 and is based on “Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi — The Four Seasons.”

“It looks at the different seasons of life, which parallel the seasons we see throughout life,” she said.

“When people watch it I think they see something different. It’s become a classic piece of Ballet 5:8′s repertoire.”

Plans for Ballet 5:8′s 2022-23 season include welcoming guest choreographers Matthew Rushing, associate artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York, and Tobin James, a former member of the Martha Graham Ensemble (Graham 2), and returning to a full-time touring schedule.

“My background is in classical ballet. I’m also Mexican so that plays a big part in my story. Growing up I enjoyed ballet. I’ve always loved moving. It’s a part of my culture to move,” said Slager, who added that she fell in love with ballet after her parents put her in ballet class.

“I wanted to create a company that would tell stories that were more relevant to people in modern times and to tell stores from different perspectives.

“Ballet is traditionally choreographed by men from European descent. For me, a Latina female, it’s been a journey of creating a company that will bring together the elements that are important to me and that I want to see onstage. One of the bedrocks is we’re telling stories of life and faith.”

10FOLD
When: 2 p.m. April 23; 3 p.m. April 24
Where: Ballet 5:8, 11545 183rd Place, Suite 101, Orland Park Tickets: $20
Information: 312-725-4752; ballet58.org
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

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