Miranda Rubio | Season in Review
One of our Ballet 5:8 traditions at the end of each performance season is to ask the artists of the company to share some reflections with us. Getting to know the dancers and hearing about their journey is always a treat, and this year is no exception - even in a year turned upside down by a national pandemic! A special thank you to the artists of the company for sharing about their experiences in the 2019/20 Season.
Apprentice, Miranda Rubio
Q. Pick one word to describe the overall season. Why?
A. Reclaimed. Throughout this season there have been times where the circumstances around us seemed to have ruined or wrecked our intentions. But God has shown his faithfulness in how he takes what we see as wasted or debris and reclaims it with intention for his good.
Q. Can you share a favorite moment from on or offstage?
A. During one particular scene in Butterfly my character gets pulled off the ground by a Nazi and slapped. I’m supposed to knock all of the fruit out of the basket I’m holding, but in one show the basket got caught in between my legs and I crushed it while trying to get up. It exploded across the stage and my fellow cast members had to scramble to help clean it up, meanwhile I was holding back laughter while being “unconscious.”
Q. Of course choosing this is probably going to be hard, but out of the works you performed this season, does one stand out as the most meaningful or most notable for you personally? Why?
A. Definitely a hard choice, but I don’t think anything can compare to the experience of Butterfly. I had the honor of portraying the young boy Petr Ginz. Researching his life was tremendous. He was a bright, and creative person full of beauty. Being able to give voice to his story this past season is something I will always treasure.
Q. Is there a particular quote or idea that has been inspirational to you this season?
A. The concept of faith has really stuck with me. Both faith to walk without sight and the ways that faith acts as a shield against outside lies or attacks. Our walk as Christians facilitates the production of much faith, but honestly I see a lot of parallels in the discipline of ballet.
Q. What room did you dance in during quarantine?
A. In the household I stayed in there ended up being quite a need for dancing and teaching space. So we converted an upstairs bedroom in a mini studio space. We even had some marley over plywood, a bureau mirror, and a barre!
Q. What are you up to this summer?
A. I’ll be RAing for Ballet 5:8’s five week summer intensive. I had the opportunity to do so last summer, and it was a highlight! I’m super excited to see what this year brings