Surprised by Joy

Ballet 5:8 Artistic Director Julianna Slager's 2016 premier Surprised by Joy.

Surprised by Joy

What does joy actually look like? Julianna Slager's Surprised by Joy, inspired by the poem by William Wordsworth, looks at the kind of joy that can be experienced even in the midst of tragedy, loss, disappointment and pain. The work paints a picture of an experience unlike anything else, an experience that can only be described as supernatural, a power that transcends even the grave. "Surprised by joy - impatient as the wind..." The experience may only be for a moment, but it transports us away from this world, catching us up in a joy that far transcends human emotions. This must find its source in the One who conquered death.

Premiere: October, 2016
Choreography: Julianna Slager
Costumes: Lorianne Robertson