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.

The return of the Chicago-based Ballet 5:8 to Grand Rapids Christian High School’s DeVos Center for the Arts and Worship not only reinforced the modern ballet troupe’s technical prowess but also artistic director/choreographer Julianna Rubio Slager and dancer/costumer designer Lorianne Barclay’s bold ability to create emotional stage production’s that also carry moral and religious meaning.

Creating a masterpiece can take a lifetime. There is a certain process in crafting each detail that cannot be rushed, but in a world of limited time and tight funding, modern day artists have been forced to find creative ways to make the best of their resources. This is especially true in the world of dance, where choreographers are tasked not only with making movement to communicate their stories and ideas, but must also make considerations for the perfect musical score, costuming, and lighting and stage design. So how do dance makers begin to approach the task of bringing all of these elements to life on stage? Consider the masterpieces that Artistic Director Julianna Slager has created for her company, Ballet 5:8. Since the company’s founding in 2012, Julianna has worked to nurture her creative process to produce a number of works that had the dancers touring nationally just two years later. This is no small achievement for any body of performing artists – many spend five years or more in their home cities before the possibility of presenting work across the country is even on the table. It speaks volumes to the quality, originality, and artistic and technical prowess both choreographer and dancers bring into the theater.