A legend, reimagined with empathy. Maria’s story unfolds through powerful choreography and a haunting score—illuminating postpartum depression with tenderness, not fear.

3PM at the National Hispanic Cultural Center

In Albuquerque, where the story of La Llorona still echoes through the cultural memory of the Southwest, Ballet 5:8 presents a bold reimagining of one of Latin America’s most enduring legends.

Set in New Mexico and inspired by the folklore of La Llorona, this hauntingly beautiful ballet tells the story of Maria, a young mother overwhelmed by exhaustion, isolation, and postpartum depression. As fear and grief begin to distort her reality, family, faith, and community become lifelines pulling her toward hope.

This is not a horror story.

Created by Ballet 5:8 Artistic Director Julianna Rubio Slager, the work was shaped in conversation with research and lived experience surrounding postpartum depression in Hispanic and Black communities. Dr. Cheryl Tatano Beck, whose groundbreaking research on postpartum depression informed the production, wrote:

“Women of color are significantly more likely to experience postpartum depressive symptoms compared with White women in the United States.”
— Dr. Cheryl Tatano Beck, American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing

After seeing the work, Dr. Beck shared:

“I am deeply impressed. It will help so many others who do not understand the depths of despair postpartum depression can bring to a mother and her family.”

Audiences across the country have called the production “deep,” “important,” and “a 10/10 experience,” praising its emotional honesty and cultural resonance.