A legend, reimagined with empathy. Ballet 5:8’s La Llorona tells Maria’s story through powerful choreography and a haunting score—illuminating postpartum depression with tenderness, not fear. Experience love, loss, and hope—live on stage.
Dr. Cheryl Tatano Beck wrote in the American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing that,
“women of color are significantly more likely to experience postpartum depressive symptoms compared with White women in the United States.”
Ballet 5:8
La Llorona
A legend, reimagined with empathy. Ballet 5:8’s La Llorona tells Maria’s story through powerful choreography and a haunting score, illuminating postpartum depression with tenderness, not fear. Experience love, loss, and hope live on stage.
A human story about maternal mental health
Set in Santa Fe, La Llorona follows Maria, a young mother overwhelmed by exhaustion, isolation, and postpartum depression. As fear distorts her reality, family and faith pull her toward recovery. This is not a horror tale. It is a story about maternal mental health, the strength of community, and compassion’s power to restore what has been lost.
Open to all ages
A serious story told with care and clarity, making space for compassion, reflection, and hope.
Conversation-starting
It brings maternal mental health to the stage with sensitivity, helping audiences name what is often left unspoken.
Cinematic score
Mexican folk colors, trumpet improvisation, and a haunting musical world deepen the emotional experience.
Audience response and performance footage
Maria’s Story: The Woman Behind the Legend
In Ballet 5:8’s La Llorona, choreographer Julianna Rubio Slager reclaims the myth and restores the woman at its heart.
Set in Santa Fe, the ballet follows Maria, a young mother overwhelmed by exhaustion, postpartum depression, and growing delusions. Though surrounded by family, she feels isolated and unseen. As fear and suspicion distort her reality, Maria spirals into darkness, believing the tragic tale whispered by those around her: that she has become La Llorona, the weeping woman of legend.
But this is not a story of despair. It is a story of redemption. With the unwavering support of her husband Manuel, her sister Valencia, and even her once-critical mother-in-law Doña Celina, Maria begins to recover. What the villagers mistook for myth was in fact a mental health crisis, one faced by countless women in silence.
La Llorona invites audiences to look past folklore and recognize the human experience within, shining a light on postpartum depression, the strength of family, and the power of compassion to restore what once felt lost.
Audience and community response
Responses to La Llorona reflect the work’s emotional depth, cultural resonance, and the care with which Ballet 5:8 approaches maternal mental health on stage.
“Yes, it was DEEP! Very emotional. This is real life for many postpartum women.”
— Marvalinn
“La Llorona brings a whole new aspect to the table – mental health.”
— Audience Member
“Una historia con mucha importancia... Ballet 5:8 cuenta la historia a través de la danza de manera increíble.”
— Andy Boeta, Orland Park Chamber of Commerce
“It’s a very important piece, and will explode as the world of dance keeps evolving.”
— Dora Ciacca, Dancer & Choreographer
“A 10/10 experience. I was struggling to hold back tears.”
— Mya Love
“As a registered nurse, this perfectly captured the stories told to me by women suffering from postpartum depression.”
— Registered Nurse
“Ballet, as with many of the ‘fine arts,’ is perceived as art for the aristocracy. The art form is commonly expensive, exclusive, and occasionally elitist, but Ballet 5:8 subverts these common values to provide accessible, high-quality dance training to students of all ages, levels of ability, and ethnic backgrounds. Their school commits to fostering a nurturing environment where instructors care for the students’ spirits and bodies. This is Ballet reimagined. This is a studio telling a different story.”
— “Making Ballet Accessible”, podcast with Emanuel Padilla
“La Llorona was one of the best shows we have attended in a long time. Thanks to all involved for giving us the chance to see this performance!”
— ALS, U.S. Army (Veteran)
Es una plaga silenciosa en las comunidades negras e hispanas, y una que también ha pasado por mi propio hogar y por mi propia salud mental.
Después de descubrir La Llorona y conversar con Julianna, la Dra. Beck escribió: “Estoy profundamente impresionada. Ayudará a tantas otras personas que no conocen las profundidades de la desesperación que la depresión posparto puede traer a la madre y a su familia.”
Dr. Cheryl Tatano Beck wrote in the American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing that, “women of color are significantly more likely to experience postpartum depressive symptoms compared with White women in the United States.”
Planning your visit
Is it family-friendly?
Yes. While it addresses postpartum depression, the storytelling is tender and appropriate for a wide audience.
How long is the show?
80 minutes with no intermission.
Language?
It is a non-verbal dance work. Program notes are available in English and Spanish, if applicable.
Talkback?
Yes. Each performance includes an optional post-performance talkback with the artists.
Accessibility & Parking?
All venues are ADA compliant and offer free parking. For more information, visit the individual show pages at ballet58.org/calendar.
La Llorona in the Press
According to the NIH, 6.5-20% of new mothers face this silent struggle due to a lack of awareness hindering them from seeking help. Choreographer Julianna Rubio Slager, a mother of three, intimately understands these challenges. In her latest work, La Llorona, she reimagines the Mexican myth through a compassionate modern lens. Follow Maria, a new mother driven to despair by suspicions of her husband's infidelity, as she grapples with overwhelming darkness. Rather than succumbing to tragedy, Maria's journey becomes a poignant portrayal of a depressive episode. Ultimately Maria, her husband, and community learn to care for each other as they battle Maria’s mental illness. Through powerful storytelling, the ballet intertwines mythology with a crucial message, raising awareness for postpartum depression, especially among minority communities.