Artists of the Company
Our professional dancers hail from across North America, have extensive training in classical ballet, and share our passion for telling meaningful stories through the art form.
Lorianne Robertson
Lead Artist
Lead Artist Lorianne Robertson was practically raised in an art bubble. Not only is her hometown of Portland, Oregon a very art-centered culture, but her family is a mix of fine artists and musicians. As a child, she could be found with her limbs in the most obscure positions. This caused her parents to put her in gymnastics at age three. Later she transitioned to ballet, finding it to be a beautiful arrangement of movement and artistry. She received her early training at Portland Metro Arts and later went on to study for four years under John Magnus in Portland Festival Ballet’s trainee program. Her summers were spent around the country studying with Ballet West, Summer Dance Lab, and awarded scholarships to train with Alonzo King Lines Ballet and Point Park University. In 2013, Robertson choreographed a piece entitled “Inclus” selected as the Bloom project winner. Outside of dancing, she holds a degree in Graphic Design from the Academy of Art University. Robertson has been with Ballet 5:8 since 2013 and was promoted to Solo Artist in 2016 and Lead Artist in 2019. She has performed many solo and principal roles with Ballet 5:8, including principal roles in Julianna Rubio Slager’s Reckless, Golden Sessions, Butterfly, Brothers & Sisters, Meditations, The Mother, Scarlet, and Four Seasons of the Soul. Robertson has also worked as Ballet 5:8's Costume Designer and Head of Wardrobe since 2014.
Sarah Clarke
Lead Artist
Originally from Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, Sarah Clarke was homeschooled throughout her academic education. She discovered the joy of dancing to music along with her family at a young age. She began her training at a local Christian dance school at age six. A few years later, Clarke began training with Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, where she performed works by George Balanchine, including Serenade, Emeralds with guest artists from New York City Ballet, Western Symphony, and others. She then relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina as a Trainee with Charlotte Ballet for two seasons (2018/19 - 2019/20). Throughout her dance training, Clarke has studied at summer intensives with CPYB, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet, Charlotte Ballet, and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. She joined Ballet 5:8 in 2020, performing in Julianna Rubio Slager’s world premieres of Reckless, Golden Sessions, Dry Bones, and Mercy. Clarke was promoted to Company Artist in 2021 and is also an instructor at the School of Ballet 5:8.
Elizabeth Marlin
Lead Artist
Elizabeth Marlin grew up in eastern Pennsylvania, where she trained in her high school years under Trinette Singleton and Jennifer Haltzman Tracy. She attended summer programs at Pennsylvania Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and American Ballet Theatre throughout high school. After graduating, she moved to Salt Lake City to dance as a trainee with Ballet West. While there, Marlin had the opportunities to perform roles alongside the company in Giselle, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker, as well as the principal roles in Lark Ascending, Viva Vivaldi, and Scherzo from Balanchine's Midsummer Night's Dream. She has also guested in productions of The Nutcracker from Burley, Idaho to Fairbanks, Alaska. Marlin joined Ballet 5:8 in 2020, and performed the principal pas de deux in Julianna Rubio Slager’s Golden Sessions, as well as roles in Slager’s Reckless, Dry Bones, and Of Splendors & Horrors. She was promoted to Solo Artist in 2021.
Samuel Opsal
Lead Artist
Lead Artist Samuel Opsal started dancing at the age of 16 in Pullman, WA. In 2014 he received a BFA in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts, graduating magna cum laude. While attending Cornish he was granted multiple awards for academic and artistic achievement. After college, Opsal worked with Iyun Harrison’s Ashani Dances in Seattle and then moved to Pittsburgh to train in Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Graduate Program. His performances include PBT’s Le Corsaire, Sleeping Beauty, and La Bayadere. As a guest artist, he has performed principal roles in Giselle, Firebird, and Swan Lake. In 2015 he also had the opportunity to choreograph a duet that was performed by PBT’s ensemble group. Opsal joined Ballet 5:8 in 2016 and was promoted to Solo Artist in 2020. His repertoire includes many solo and principal roles in Julianna Rubio Slager’s Reckless, Dry Bones, Golden Sessions, Butterfly, Brothers & Sisters, The Space in Between, Four Seasons of the Soul, All God’s Children, Meditations, Ripple Effect, and Scarlet.
Libby Dennen
Solo Artist
Solo Artist Libby Dennen has lived in the suburbs of Chicago her entire life. She began dancing at the age of three at the local park district and continued her training at Turning Pointe School of Dance before moving to the School of Ballet 5:8. Dennen spent her high school years training in Ballet 5:8's Conservatory Program under Artistic Director Julianna Slager and Ballet Mistress Lauren Ader-Cumpston. She performed in numerous school performances, including lead roles in The Carpenter's Son, Racham, Beyond the Nutcracker, and The Toymaker. With the Conservatory, Dennen had the opportunity to perform at a Regional Dance America National Festival in 2016, as well as with Ballet 5:8's professional company in Slager’s Four Seasons of the Soul and Mi Familia. Throughout high school, Dennen attended summer intensives at Ruth Page Center for Dance, Charlotte Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet, and Ballet 5:8. Dennen joined Ballet 5:8 as a Trainee II in 2016 and performed roles in Slager’s Surprised by Joy, Stor(ies) of You & Me, and Scarlet. Dennen was promoted to Apprentice in 2017, Senior Apprentice in 2018, Company Artist in 2019, and Solo Artist in 2021. She most recently performed principal and soloist roles in Slager’s Reckless, 4501, and Golden Sessions.
Kayla Kowach
Solo Artist
Kayla Kowach, originally from Waukegan, IL, began dancing at the age of 3 at her local park district. Her formal training began at Dancenter North, under the direction of Stacy Joy Keller, providing a solid framework for her artistic development. There she was given the opportunity to perform lead roles such as Sugar Plum and Paquita and was provided with high-caliber training in many dance forms. Kowach pursued summer intensive training at various summer programs, including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Joffrey Ballet, Colorado Ballet, and Ballet 5:8. These experiences enriched her dance vocabulary and underscored her commitment to continual growth. In 2020, Kowach joined Ballet 5:8's Trainee program, directed by Brette Benedict and Julianna Rubio Slager. During her time with Ballet 5:8, she has gotten the opportunity to perform many of Slager's poignant works, including Dia De Los Vivos, BareFace, and Beyond the Nutcracker. Kowach was promoted to the 2nd Company in 2020, Apprentice in 2021, then to Company Artist in 2022, and Solo Artist in 2023. Beyond the stage, Kowach also serves as an instructor at the School of Ballet 5:8 as well as the Executive Administrative Assistant. Throughout her career Kowach is reminded of and grateful for the continued support of her family.
Valerie Linsner
Solo Artist
Solo Artist Valerie Linsner was born and raised in Champaign, IL. From age seven through high school, Linsner trained at Champaign Ballet Academy, under Deanna Doty, and performed with pre-professional company Champaign Urbana Ballet. There she grew to love classical ballet and had the privilege to dance Paquita, Cinderella, La Bayadere, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker. Linsner first became acquainted with Ballet 5:8 in 2013 when she attended their Summer Intensive, and returned for a second summer in 2014. Since then, she has enjoyed attending summer intensives at Boston Ballet School and American Ballet Theatre, New York. Upon graduating high school, Linsner felt called to join Ballet 5:8's trainee program, in which she had the honor to perform in Scarlet, Compass, Four Seasons of the Soul, and The Space in Between. Linsner was promoted to Apprentice in 2019, Company Artist in 2020, and Solo Artist in 2021, performing principal and soloist roles in many of Julianna Rubio Slager’s works, including Reckless, Golden Sessions, Butterfly, and Brothers & Sisters. She also joined the School of Ballet 5:8 staff in 2018, where she currently serves as Pre-professional Program Co-Director. She is incredibly thankful to her family for their endless love and support.
Jonathan Bostelman
Company Artist
Jonathan started his training in Indiana where he had the opportunity to train with members of Louisville Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet. He has had the pleasure of performing across the United States including notable venues such as Winsper Opera House (Dallas TX) and the Hult Center (Eugene OR). Bostelman received his Bachelor of Dance from Belhaven University before dancing with Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota. He has performed roles such as Snow King in the Nutcracker, Von Rothbart in Swan Lake, and Prince Florimund in Sleeping Beauty. Bostelman joined Ballet 5:8 as a Senior Apprentice in 2021, and was promoted to Company Artist in 2022. His repertoire with Ballet 5:8 includes Julianna Rubio Slager’s Gospel Impressions, Four Seasons of the Soul, Todo Raba, and Reckless. Bostelman is thrilled to be a part of Ballet 5:8 for the 22/23 season.
Natalie Chinn
Company Artist
Natalie Chinn was born and raised in Torrance, California. She began her formal dance training at South Bay Ballet (now Ballet California) under the direction of Diane Lauridsen. Throughout her years at South Bay Ballet, she performed in many productions and had the chance to perform solo and leading roles in many of them. She had the chance to work with many choreographers during that time, some including Eva Stone, Robert Kelley, and Tiffany Billings. She also trained at many summer intensives including American Ballet Theater, Joffrey Ballet, and Oklahoma City Ballet. Later, she joined Ballet 5:8’s Second Company for its inaugural season in 2020 where she had the opportunity to perform many works alongside the professional company, some including Julianna Rubio Slager’s Four Seasons of the Soul, Golden Sessions, Interplay, Reckless, Shades of Refrain, The Mother, and Kevin Jenkin’s Still Waters. She was then promoted to an Apprentice in 2022, and Company Artist in 2023. Since then she’s performed in a wide spectrum of repertoire with Ballet 5:8.
Lezlie Gray
Company Artist
Company Artist Lezlie Gray was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware. She has been dancing since she was two, and began her formal training at the age of 11 with Delaware Dance Company (DDC) under Sunshine Webster-Latshaw and Sherry Hiott. She performed in many productions throughout the years with DDC where she had the opportunity to dance soloist and principal roles. During her high school years, she attended Ballet Magnificat’s Summer Intensive, local dance festivals, Regional Dance America, and YAGP semi-finals in Philadelphia and Boston. These events provided exposure to different styles and instructors, as well as recognition through scholarships. After graduating from high school in 2018, she moved to Jackson, Mississippi and danced with Ballet Magnificat as a Trainee. She had the opportunity to perform in full stage productions, go on a few tours, and dance in numerous outreach performances in the local community. Gray joined Ballet 5:8 as a Company Apprentice in 2019 and was promoted to Senior Apprentice in 2020 and Company Artist in 2021, most recently having performed a principal role in Julianna Rubio Slager’s world premiere of Reckless. Her repertoire with Ballet 5:8 includes Slager’s Golden Sessions, Butterfly, The Rough-Face Girl, Of Splendors & Horrors, and 4501. She is grateful to everyone who has helped her pursue her dream.
Ellington Nichols
Company Artist
Company Artist Ellington Nichols comes to Ballet 5:8 from Minnesota where she began her ballet training at the age of 10 at the North Ballet Academy under the direction of Stephanie Heston, Kim Norberg, and Breanna Dvorak. She performed with the North Ballet Youth Company in various lead roles including Clara, Dew Drop, and divertissements in consecutive productions of The Nutcracker. She then continued her pre-professional training with Tatiana Berenova, former Russian prima ballerina, with whom she also toured Pas De Quatre. Nichols expanded her training by spending summers attending prestigious summer intensives including Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington DC, Ellison Ballet, the Harid Conservatory, Butler University, Indiana University, Forrest Academy of Ballet New York (FABNY), as well as IBstage in Barcelona, Spain and the International Vivat Youth Ballet Festival under the Artistic Director Oleg Vinogradov, former director of the Kirov Ballet, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Nichols moved to Manhattan during her last year of high school to train full-time with Ms. Erin Forrest. She graduated from the Forrest Academy of Ballet New York in the spring of 2019. Nichols joined Ballet 5:8 as a Company Apprentice in 2019 and was promoted to Company Artist in 2020. With Ballet 5:8, Nichols has performed a wide variety of works, including Kevin Jenkins’s Still Waters, and Julianna Rubio Slager’s Reckless, Golden Sessions, Of Splendors & Horrors, 4501, The Rough-Face Girl, Butterfly, Brothers & Sisters, and The Space in Between.
Miranda Rubio Opsal
Company Artist
Miranda Rubio Opsal was born in Jackson, Michigan. At age six she began dancing at The Academy of the Arts under the direction of Lori Ladwig and later Kate Price. Rubio spent many summers attending Ballet 5:8's Summer Intensive before joining the School of Ballet 5:8’s’ Conservatory Program in 2015, under the direction of Lauren Ader-Cumpston. With the Conservatory, she performed and originated roles in Artistic Director Julianna Rubio Slager's Beyond the Nutcracker, The Toymaker, Love Is, and Pilgrim's Progress. In addition, she performed the soloist role in Julia Rzonca's Conformity at Regional Dance America's 2017 National Festival. In 2017 Rubio joined Ballet 5:8's Trainee Program, training closely with Trainee Program Director Brette Benedict and Slager. During her time as a Trainee, she was given the opportunity to perform and tour a wide array of repertoire in both Company and Trainee-specific works. Some of her favorite roles with Ballet 5:8 include Slager’s Compass program, "The Lizard" in The Space In Between, "Rebellion" in 4501, and Petr Ginz in Butterfly. Rubio has performed as a guest artist in The Fox Valley Nutcracker in 2017, 2018, and 2019 respectively, as well as at Willow Creek and with Vaudeville Nights by Chicago's Voice of the City. Rubio was promoted to Company Apprentice in 2020 and Company Artist in 2021. Rubio is also an instructor at the School of Ballet 5:8 and serves as the Pre-professional Program Co-Director.
Melanie Rodrigues
Company Artist
Company Artist Melanie Rodrigues was born and raised in Dayton, OH, and began her dance training at Pontecorvo Ballet Studios under the direction of Barbara Pontecorvo. She later joined their resident pre-professional ballet company, Gem City Ballet, where she performed many new works and classical repertoire, as well as Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Serenade, and Raymonda Variations. Over the years at PBS and GCB she performed soloist and principal roles in Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Giselle, Coppélia, La Bayadère, and PBS’s The Nutcracker. She also trained at many summer intensives including Ballet West, Miami City Ballet, and American Ballet Theater’s Collegiate Program. In 2017, Rodrigues joined Ballet 5:8’s Trainee Program, performing company repertoire, including Julianna Rubio Slager’s Compass Program, The Space In Between, and Four Seasons of the Soul. With the Trainee Program, she attended Regional Dance America, winning a cash scholarship. Rodrigues joined Ballet 5:8 as a Company Apprentice in 2019 and was promoted to Senior Apprentice in 2020 and Company Artist in 2021. She has performed a wide range of classical and contemporary works with the company, including Slager’s Of Splendors & Horrors, Dry Bones, Golden Sessions, Reckless, Butterfly, and 4501.
Sophia Snider
Company Artist
Sophia Snider was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in New Lenox, Illinois. Snider began her dance training at age five with Turning Pointe School of Dance. At age ten and in Ballet 5:8’s inaugural season, she moved to the School of Ballet 5:8, becoming one of their first students. For the entirety of her high school education, Snider advanced with The School of Ballet 5:8’s Conservatory and debuted in many premiere works with the Studio Company including Beyond the Nutcracker, The Toymaker, Pilgrim’s Progress, and The Wayward Daughter. At the end of her senior year, Snider graduated from the Conservatory program in 2020 with High Honors and having trained under former Ballet 5:8 Ballet Mistress Lauren Ader-Cumpston, former Conservatory and Trainee Director Brette Benedict, and Artistic Director Julianna Rubio Slager. Upon graduation, Snider joined Ballet 5:8’s Second Company where she was given the opportunity to perform a variety of Slager’s works alongside the professional company. Snider was promoted to Company Apprentice in 2021, and Company Artist in 2022. Snider is also the Community and Wellness Coordinator for the School of Ballet 5:8.
Ford Tackett
Company Artist
Ford Tackett began his formative ballet training at Colorado Ballet Society under the direction of Patricia Hoffman. There he had the privilege of receiving instruction from many master teachers and performing in several classical works with the resident Colorado Youth Ballet. He joined Ballet 5:8 in 2019 as a Trainee, was promoted to the Second Company in 2020, Company Apprentice in 2021, and Company Artist in 2022. His repertoire with the company includes Julianna Rubio Slager’s Brothers & Sisters, Golden Sessions, Gospel Impressions, and Reckless.
