Ballet 5:8 presents "Beauty Will Save the World" at Harris Theatre
October 31, 2025 By D'onminique Boyd-Riley
Ballet 5:8 has a track record of presenting world class ballet coupled with innovative storytelling that feels not only accessible, but urgent for today. A few of their past performances presented work centered on loaded topics such as postpartum depression with “La Llorona,” and otherness with “Bareface.” This fall, their fourteenth season began with the “BIOS Project,” where they unearthed untold stories of women living in Chicago. Now, the topic at hand is beauty, and the company expands on the attraction of vulnerability and the sharing of the stories we leave behind.
“Beauty Will Save the World” premiered on October 11th at the Harris Theatre. The program opened with “Dia de los Vivos” (2021), choreographed by the company’s visionary Founder and Artistic Director Julianna Rubio Slager. Dressed in all black sweetheart neckline dresses, the ballerinas laid gracefully on the stage as electric cream candles filled the air with a dimly lit spiritual essence. One by one, the ten dancers began to elevate their light, illuminating their individual and collective truths. As the dancing became more grounded and broke more rules, I realized, “Dia de los Vivos” had an old soul; I had experienced it before.
This time, the work felt a little different. The Huasteco-style rhythms felt more loaded. There was something palpable in the atmosphere. A gust of wind popped the color underneath a soloist’s rotating black dress. The pop of color captivated our attention and took the work to another level, as Ballet 5:8’s longtime costume designer Lorianne Robertson tends to do. The Huasteco rhythms intensified, and we could feel them through our souls. As “Dia de los Vivos” ensued, the ensemble followed suit with the pops of color, revealing peaks of life and hope through the melancholic black attire with every turn.
In the end, there was not only an explosion of color, but the reveal of traditional Mexican embroidery, filling the room with hope and heritage, reminding us that it is community, family, living out loud and the stories of our lineage that ultimately save us from ourselves.
“These Quiet Moments,” choreographed by celebrated choreographer Kevin Jenkins, was a world premiere beautifully danced by Ballet 5:8 company members, Natalie Chinn and Christian English. The duet swept us away with their chemistry, technical proficiency and seamless transitions, a nice airy contrast to the grounded energy of “Dia De los Vivos.”
“Birthday Variations” (1986), choreographed by Gerald Arpino, co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet, was originally commissioned by Becky D’Angelo in honor of her husband, Dino D’Angelo, founder of the Chicago Civic Center for the Performing Arts. Nearly forty years later, “Birthday Variations” still moved viewers to tears. Dancers graced the stage dressed in darling three-quarter length tulle tutus, designed by Stanley Simmons, that painted the scene in muted pastel prettiness. The movements were classic, with quick bourrées and all things quintessentially ballet. Although the ensemble gave us quite a stir, it was the six solo variations, each one unique in their elaborate adornment, care and mastery, that flooded me with emotion. Beyond the pomp and circumstance, there was a small yet grand gesture of love, of honoring someone’s life enough to create another breathing body of art.
“The Sea is Flat” is a company favorite. Choreographed and with lighting design by Slager, the work evoked a sense of peace while revealing layers of depth and complexity. With shades of blue in the lighting, costumes and back scrim, the stage became a vast sea of life, flowing movement and truth. To an evocative score by Italian composer Ezio Bosso, endless turns, boundless jetés, and lifts done with fluidity allowed the audience to become mesmerized and soothed by the ongoing movement, encouraging us to explore our own connections with water, whether through the oceans crossed by our ancestors, or the lake that graces our daily commutes.
The memorable evening was ripe with surprises. There was a special vocal performance by tenor Rodrick Dixon, who also performed in “BIOS Project” last August. Slager’s lighting designs were a lovely treat, and breathtaking costumes and diverse choreographic works left us wondering, “what else can ballet be?” Ballet 5:8 not only looks beyond beauty but into beauty, into the heart of our stories and the bones of our society. “Beauty Will Save the World” reminded me of the power of dance and of this special company, who fearlessly try new things and who have aged like fine wine.
Read the review at https://seechicagodance.com/review/ballet-58-presents-beauty-will-save-the-world-at-harris-theatre