Only in Chicago Spotlight - Hispanic Heritage Month

Choose Chicago
Posted: Sep 15, 2022

Julianna Rubio Slager: Ballet 5:8
Neighborhood: Loop

In Chicago, every neighborhood is home to a diverse community of small businesses. This month, we’re celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by featuring some of the city’s most beloved Hispanic-owned businesses.

Meet the people behind a cocktail bar inspired by Mexican culture, an artisan market, an innovative dance company, a family-owned candy store, and more. These are stories you can only find in Chicago.

What is the mission of Ballet 5:8?

I think it’s really important to make sure that we’re bringing dance into the public sphere. We love doing free public shows and creating a repertoire that has a broad appeal that will help people who maybe wouldn’t be interested in a ballet company otherwise to jump in and experience dance.

How do you bring your culture into the dances you create?

As a third-generation Mexican-American immigrant, I think it’s important to showcase the diversity and the beauty of what other cultures can add to the beauty that we already have here. Ballet is something that is owned by all cultures. It may not have originated in Mexican culture, but there’s so much of it that syncs right up with what we love and who we are and what our values are culturally.