Ballet Five Eight NFP (Ballet 5:8), a Frankfort-based nonprofit arts organization, has been awarded a second grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency in the amount of $12,900, for general operating support.

The grant will be partially supporting operations between September 2018 and August, 2019. Ballet 5:8 is committed to investing in Illinois communities, artists and residents through high-quality, accessible dance education and performance and is thrilled to have this operating support for the 2018/19 season.

FRANKFORT, IL - Ballet Five Eight NFP (Ballet 5:8), a Frankfort, Illinois based nonprofit arts organization, has been awarded a second grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency in the amount of $12,900, for general operating support. The grant will be partially supporting operations between September, 2018 and August, 2019. Ballet 5:8 is committed to investing in Illinois communities, artists and residents through high-quality, accessible dance education and performance and is thrilled to have this operating support for the 2018/19 season.

ANDERSON — A hybrid adaption of one of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous novels is being performed live Saturday at the Paramount Theatre.

Returning to Las Cruces for the first time since 2015, Ballet 5:8 is bringing the visually stunning performance of “Scarlet” to New Mexico State University’s Atkinson Recital Hall, 1075 N. Horseshoe St., on Tuesday, March 6. With a combination of original choreography, music, film elements and spoken word, this is truly a one-of-a-kind experience.

The powerful portrayal of a classic American story inhabited the stage at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin as Ballet 5:8 revisited Scarlet, a fully developed two-act ballet choreographed by Artistic Director Juliana Rubio Slager.

A book from high school English inspired Julianna Rubio Slager to write a full-length ballet.

Slager is the artistic director at Ballet 5:8 in Frankfort. She created and choreographed "Scarlet," a ballet-film hybrid adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel, "The Scarlet Letter."

CHICAGO – Ballet 5:8 brings its film/dance hybrid production inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter to Las Cruces after the company’s first visit in 2015. Ballet 5:8’s dramatic adaptation of the famous novel pairs original choreography by Ballet 5:8 Artistic Director Julianna Rubio Slager and a stunning score by American modernist composer Charles Ives with film elements directed by Preston Miller, and Spoken Word created by Chicago artist Kylla Pate. Scarlet delves into the timeless struggles of hypocrisy, shame and ultimately, the hope of redemption. After the performance, audience members are invited to discuss their experience and ask questions during open panel discussion with Slager and artists of the company. The single Las Cruces performance, made possible in part by Wanda Bowman and Ashley Homestore, will be held on Tuesday, March 6 at 7:00pm at NMSU Atkinson Recital Hall. Tickets are $25 adults, $20 students/seniors, and $15 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available through ballet58.org, by calling 312-725-4752, or in person at the Ashley Homestore, 3299 Del Rey Blvd, Las Cruces, NM 88012. Performance information is available at ballet58.org/scarlet.

There are classic American novels that every high school student will leaf through in their academic careers. But if you are or were like most high school students, you read the book, scratched your head, and rallied through your assignments, often without fully grasping the gravity of the story at hand. Instead of relying on Wikipedia and Spark Notes to understand Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, consider seeing it on stage through Ballet 5:8’s full length, original ballet, Scarlet. Choreographer and Artistic Director of Ballet 5:8, Julianna Slager, has spent years meticulously researching and fine-tuning her choreography in preparation for Scarlet to return to the stage this February at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin, IL. DancerMusic’s Kristi Licera sat down with Julianna to learn more about her research, creative process, and the importance of taking time to edit an artistic work:

If you had a chance to read our PRE-View for Ballet 5:8’s Compass (which you can read here), then you know that Artistic Director Julianna Slager and her company of incredibly expressive dancers have committed their season thus far to spreading compassion in every community they touch. This past Friday, Ballet 5:8 took the stage at the Athenaeum Theater in Chicago and delivered an evening of inspired choreography and thought-provoking performance. The program touched on a number of politically sensitive topics including race, abortion, and immigration, but when these charged topics are approached through Julianna’s choreographic lens of compassion, it is clear that the purpose of the program is not political at all. Its true purpose is to inspire empathy and kindness, and all artists involved in Compass deserve congratulations for successfully emoting and delivering this message with grace. DancerMusic’s Kristi Licera was in the audience for this one-night only performance, and invites you to join her as she RE-Views Ballet 5:8.