“La Llorona” Turns Legend to Lesson
Cate Hessel | October 15, 2024
By Cate Rees-Hessel with Flo Mano and Wes Hessel
Ballet 5:8, under the direction of the enormously talented and lovely Julianna Rubio Slager, wowed audiences with performances at Harris Theater the weekend of October 5th and 6th. Once again this stellar dance troupe brings us the best of ballet, in this case inspired by a story in Mexican folklore of a woman who loses her children to death, and in her own passing, is doomed to roam near bodies of water, looking for her drowned niñas or niños.
Ms. Slager has choreographed a beautifully crafted work that brings to light the importance of mental health, specifically drawing on her struggles with postpartum depression after the births of two of her children. The truths she found in this legend are that no one should face their pain alone, and that sometimes, the greatest battles are the ones we fight within ourselves. It carries themes of survival and support by family. The shows were followed with a mini-concert in the lobby performed by an all-female mariachi band.
You have to love a faith-based dance company that entertains and enlightens. No one does this better than Ballet 5:8. Exquisite performers, stunning costumes, and world-class choreography make for an enriching theater going experience. For information on upcoming performances, including their 10th anniversary tradition “Beyond the Nutcracker”, and the Ballet 5:8 school, please visit their website at www.ballet58.org.