Upcoming ballet production to highlight sex trafficking issue in San Antonio

Fox 29 San Antonio

By Lynette Vega

Published October 29, 2021

SAN ANTONIO -- A unique ballet company from Chicago is coming to San Antonio for one night to highlight a very important issue.

Ballet 5:8 tours the country taking on social justice issues. The company is teaming up with the local non-profit, Ransomed Life, to raise awareness about sex trafficking. Ransomed Life serves youth who have been victims of trafficking.

Ballet 5:8 and Ransomed Life will host a production on Saturday, November 6 at the Lila Cockrell Theatre to highlight the trafficking issue in San Antonio. Organizers say the production titled "Reckless" has a powerful message of hope and redemption.

"So the inspiration behind Reckless is kind of a word that has a double entendre to it," said Julianna Rubio Slager, the director and choreographer of Ballet 5:8. "In the show, you see the reckless love that we are shown through the two main characters. Gomers is put into sex trafficking as a young girl and you watch her fall into trafficking through a common ploy, which is called the Romeo effect, when she falls in love with a pimp not knowing who he is."

A San Antonio dancer will also perform in Reckless. Ransomed Life will use the show as an opportunity to raise awareness about how the community can get involved in their work.

"They just don't want people to come and watch the ballet, they want them to feel something," said April Molina, the Communications Director of Ransomed Life. "They want them to feel compelled to take action and so Ransomed Life is the action part of that. We will literally be there at the ballet handing out cards with QR codes, so people can be connected with us."

Five percent of the show's proceeds will go to Ransomed Life to help youth here in San Antonio.

For more information about Ransomed Life, CLICK HERE.

For more information about Ballet 5:8, CLICK HERE.