Ballet 5:8 School of the Arts Bringing Hope to Households Through Dance
March 31, ORLAND PARK - “Shelter-in-place” has turned life upside down across the South Suburbs, but Ballet 5:8 is providing an incredible online program that gives students a bit of normal in the midst of the chaos. Nonprofit Ballet 5:8 School of the Arts provides dance education for over 400 students in the Chicago south suburbs and northwest Indiana, and the studio has become a second home to many of them. So when in-person classes were postponed due to COVID-19, the staff at Ballet 5:8 made an ambitious change -- they would transform their organization to meet the changing needs of their students.
In the first 48 hours after receiving notice that students would not be able to come to the studios, Ballet 5:8 staff created over 100 instructional videos for their students so they would be able to continue to learn and dance while stuck at home. Being able to continue dancing online has provided a safe outlet for many of the students to stay active and be inspired. Both pre-recorded resources and live online classes are providing valuable community building, social interaction and a much needed break for weary parents. Many parents have commented on the resources being offered, including Gergana Khouchaba, of Orland Park, mother of a 6-year-old: “Thank you for the wonderful class, your efforts are incredible. We greatly appreciate all of your hard work!.”
“The change to online learning has not been without challenges,” shared Artistic Director Julianna Slager. “Teaching dance through the screen and challenging and encouraging the students from a distance requires a different skill set than teaching in person. BUT the effort to adapt to the new format has been more than worth it! The laughter of students twirling around their living room or kitchen, sometimes chased by the family dog, sometimes joined by their younger siblings, provides moments of joy and stability for everyone.”
In addition to providing free online resources for currently enrolled students, Ballet 5:8 School of the Arts has opened their classrooms to the public, sharing the joy of dance with anyone in our communities who wishes to join. The week of March 30, several live classes from a variety of levels - including those for adults - are open to the public for just $5/class on school.ballet58.org. Beginning the week of April 6, a full set of online resources including instruction, cross training and corrections will be made available to anyone around the world for just $15/month. Ballet 5:8 is also streaming select free classes on the Ballet 5:8 Facebook Page, including a weekly intermediate/advanced ballet technique on Saturdays at 2pm with Slager.
The performing company at Ballet 5:8 - where many of Ballet 5:8 School of the Arts’ instructors dance professionally by day - made their own transformation as well in the last few days before the “stay at home” order was put in place in Illinois. After several of the company’s live performances were cancelled, Slager decided to create a performance in the only stage available -- the internet. The team worked around the clock to transform their Orland Park studio into a performing theater and then recorded, edited and produced their own online “performance” of the Slager’s acclaimed work The Space in Between, based on C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce, ten days later and saw over 900 tickets reserved from six different continents for the weekend watch party March 28-29. While there are many uncertainties in the future and performing artists are waiting to find their home once again on the stage, Ballet 5:8 is using this time to find new ways of bringing hope and generosity to dancers and communities across the globe.