About Ballet 5:8
Ballet That Sparks Conversation
Ballet 5:8 is a nationally recognized Chicago ballet company and dance school creating original story ballets that explore faith, literature, culture, and human dignity through powerful storytelling and breathtaking dance.
Supported By & Recognized By
Resident Company
NEH Grant Recipient
NEA Big Read
Arts Midwest Partner
Healing Illinois Recipient
Top 75 RecognitionBy the Numbers
A growing voice in American ballet.
Ballet 5:8 has grown from a South Suburban Chicago startup into a nationally recognized ballet organization.
Dance Data Project rankings measure financial scope, not artistic merit.
What is Ballet 5:8?
A professional ballet company, dance school, touring company, and public humanities partner.
Founded in 2012 by Julianna Rubio Slager and Amy Kozol Sanderson, Ballet 5:8 was created to meet a need: a professional ballet company that reflects the richness of its city, speaks to the soul, and nurtures both excellence and equity.
Based in Chicago and the South Suburbs, Ballet 5:8 creates original story ballets, trains the next generation of artists, and brings dance into theaters, schools, libraries, churches, and community spaces.
Mission & Vision
Ballet 5:8 sparks discussion on life, faith, and human dignity through powerful storytelling and breathtaking dance.
Our work challenges assumptions—about who ballet is for, where it belongs, and what it can say.
Watch Ballet 5:8
See the mission in motion.
Experience the storytelling, technical excellence, and human dignity at the heart of Ballet 5:8.
Why We Are Different
Original storytelling, public humanities, and community impact.
Original Storytelling
New ballets rooted in real questions.
Our work draws from literature, spiritual themes, cultural memory, social issues, and lived experience.
Public Humanities
Dance as scholarship and dialogue.
Projects supported by the NEA, NEH, and Healing Illinois connect performance with reading, research, discussion, and learning.
Community Impact
Ballet beyond elite spaces.
From Orland Park to Chicago neighborhoods, we bring dance into schools, libraries, theaters, and community spaces.
Rooted in Chicago
A Chicago ballet company serving the city, suburbs, and beyond.
Ballet 5:8 performs at major venues and community spaces, with partnerships spanning cultural institutions, schools, libraries, and neighborhood organizations.
Key Chicago and regional connections include: Harris Theater for Music and Dance, University of Chicago Logan Center for the Arts, Kehrein Center for the Arts, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Public Libraries, public libraries throughout Illinois, universities, churches, schools, and arts presenters across the Midwest and beyond.
Public Humanities in Action
Where dance meets literature, history, and community.
Unlike many ballet companies, Ballet 5:8 regularly uses dance as a tool for public engagement, literary exploration, and civic dialogue.
NEA Big Read
The House on Mango Street
A community-wide celebration of Sandra Cisneros beloved Chicago novel through performance, school engagement, library partnerships, bilingual programming, and public conversation.
Explore Mango Street
National Endowment for the Humanities
Edgar Allan Poe, America250
NEH-supported public and K-12 educational programming with artist research, scholarly advising, public discussion, captions, and Title I student access.
Explore Poe
Healing Illinois
Story, dialogue, and place
Community-centered programming using storytelling and performance to encourage racial and community healing.
Partner with usMore than 60 original ballets created to move people, challenge assumptions, and invite conversation.
Original Repertoire
Story-driven ballet for the complexity of human life.
Ballet 5:8 is known for works that explore literature, history, faith, identity, culture, grief, justice, and hope.
Founder • Artistic Director • Resident Choreographer
Julianna Rubio Slager
Julianna Rubio Slager is the Founder, Artistic Director, and Resident Choreographer of Ballet 5:8. A Chicana artist and one of the most prolific female choreographers working in ballet today, she has created more than 68 original ballets during her career.
Her work explores faith, literature, culture, moral tension, resilience, and the human condition through a distinctly theatrical approach to ballet. Her repertoire ranges from intimate chamber works to full-length narrative productions including La Llorona, The House on Mango Street, BareFace, The Space in Between, and The Curious Life of Edgar Allan Poe.
Through Ballet 5:8, Rubio Slager has helped build one of the nation's leading women-led ballet organizations while championing new choreographic voices, public humanities initiatives, and pathways for emerging artists.
“Art should ask something of us. Our work is about starting the conversation, not finishing it.”Julianna Rubio Slager
Upcoming Premieres
Chingonas and Women Who Carry Water will premiere as part of Women on Fire at the Harris Theater during the 2026/27 Season.
Training the Next Generation
From first class to professional stage.
The School of Ballet 5:8 combines high-caliber classical ballet training with a nurturing environment that values the whole student.
School
Children, teens, and adults.
Training for a wide range of ages and levels, from early childhood through adult ballet.
Explore the School
Summer Intensive
Intensive study for serious dancers.
Summer training supports growth in technique, artistry, performance, and professional readiness.
View Summer Intensive
Pre-Professional Pathway
Conservatory, Trainee, and Second Company.
A pathway for dancers pursuing professional careers in ballet.
Trainee ProgramSecond Company
School Video
See how we train artists.
Learn more about the environment, training, and values behind the School of Ballet 5:8.
Our Values
Values that shape how we train, perform, collaborate, and serve.
At Ballet 5:8, our values are not just aspirational. They are operational.
Artistic Excellence
Grounded in honesty, craft, and story. We pursue excellence as a reflection of truth and beauty.
Faith in Action
Professional standards shaped by faith, compassion, and accountability.
Women-Led and Representative
80% women-led and 40% ALAANA representation. Leadership should reflect the communities we serve.
Community-Centered
Serving Chicago suburbs and the South, West, and North Sides through neighborhood-based access and partnership.
Mentorship and Equity
A deep commitment to mentorship, access, equity, and the next generation of dancers.
Ballet for Every Body
Ballet belongs to every body and every community. We lead with clarity, dignity, and love.
“Art should ask something of us. Our work is about starting the conversation, not finishing it.”Julianna Rubio Slager
Recognition & Press
Recognized for bold storytelling, leadership, and community impact.
Ballet 5:8 has been featured by national and regional media, arts publications, and civic partners.
What People Are Saying
Press Highlights
Media Contact
Press & Media Inquiries
For interviews, media requests, images, or additional information, contact:
Jeremy Slager
jwslager@ballet58.org
Recognition & Source Links
Public support and independent recognition.
Be Part of the Story
Attend. Train. Give. Partner.
Ballet 5:8 is building a future where world-class dance grows from faith and welcomes every community.
There is a place for you in the Ballet 5:8 story.