VALPARAISO, IN – This December, local students attending classes at Ballet 5:8 School of the Arts’ Valparaiso Satellite Campus will be performing in Ballet 5:8’s first-ever performance of Beyond the Nutcracker held in Indiana, at Valparaiso High School. The company’s signature twist on the classic Nutcracker ballet features local cast members from its dance education programs, all custom-designed costumes and sets, original choreography by Ballet 5:8 Artistic Director Julianna Rubio Slager, and lead roles danced by guest artists from the Ballet 5:8 professional company including Lead Artists Antonio Rosario and Brette Benedict, and Company Artist Sam Opsal. This Ballet 5:8 twist on the classic Nutcracker invites audiences to join Emma for a magical adventure that leads from World War II London to the very first Christmas. The single Valparaiso performance will be held on Saturday, December 1 at 4pm at Valparaiso High School. Additional performances will be held on December 15-16 at Lincoln Way West High School in New Lenox, IL.

Oct 27, 2018 | By Lauren Warnecke

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.