How Julianna Slager Is Spreading The Discussion Of Life & Faith Through Ballet
Julianna Rubio Slager is the Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer for Ballet 5:8, a non-profit ballet company located south of Chicago in Orland Park. Ballet 5:8 was founded in 2012 by both Julianna and Amy Sanderson. The mission of Ballet 5:8 is to spread the discussion of life and faith throughout Chicago and the nation through innovative storytelling and breathtaking dance. The vision of Ballet 5:8 is to be one of the foremost professional dance companies in the world and to be a place where artists create, thrive, and exchange ideas informed by Christian faith.
As a little girl, Julianna wanted to be a ballerina. “I saw the Nutcracker when I was five years old, and from that point on, I was captivated. I think a lot of little girls think that when they’re little, but for me, it stuck.” She loved the expression of ballet. “I love the movement; just the feeling of dancing and being able to express ideas and stories through movement captured my imagination from a very young age. And so, as I grew older, I was trying to decide where to go with my dancing, and I began to realize that for me, dance was more about being able to express my faith and my love for God than anything else. I started looking for other Christians who were dancing so that I could get to know other people that have the same passion.”
Julianna ended up at Ballet Magnificat, a ballet company in Jackson, Mississippi. She danced with Kathy Thibodeaux in her late teens and early twenties, “That was just a huge, huge blessing,” Julianna says. “I knew from there that I needed to continue creating dance that was going to spark discussion of life and faith. When Amy and I moved to Chicago and got involved with the dance community here, we saw the need for a company similar to what Kathy is doing in Mississippi, but with mission and vision that would reach Chicago’s urban audience.” At Ballet 5:8, they’re creating classical, contemporary, neoclassical works inspired by Scripture and great authors like C.S. Lewis, bringing timeless truths to the stage through the joy and athleticism of dance.
While dance and ministry may not pair together for many people, Julianna has experienced dance as a way of expression when words fall short. As a dancer, Julianna appreciated how movement can communicate what is too deep or too difficult to form into words. This unique aspect of dance becomes a powerful vessel to proclaim the mystery, depth and beauty of God. “It gives a different perspective when you watch something through movement, it gives a diverse perspective that is not stopped by the barriers of language or culture. Dance is a universal language and can be a powerful, fresh expression of the Gospel to a new generation.”
As our nation is currently dealing with difficult times, Julianna finds herself passionate about helping people process grief and emerge from the shadows with hope. “We’ve endured so much hardship, so much sickness and death, so many jobs lost. The pandemic has stripped away so many of the things that make life worth living. In this moment, I believe Ballet 5:8 can be a ministry to bring hope and healing. We’re performing outdoors in our community over the next few months, and we’re just excited to be able to share the joy and the hope that we have in Christ with those that have been through really tough stuff over the past six months.” The ministry is not touring as much due to COVID-19. “We will be returning to tour as soon as things get a little bit back to normal,” Julianna says. “But for the time being, we’re actually really excited to let you guys know that we’re going to be dancing in an online venue. We’re going to do some live performances that will be streamed on the Internet over the next few months. That way, anybody can watch us and not be limited by geography.” Those interested can visit ballet58.org and can sign up for news and announcements and see the dates of the online performances.
Beauty is an attribute of God that gets overlooked. We think about His truth and we reflect on His love, and those are so important. But when I see the beauty of the trees, the mountains and the sunset, they all speak of His glory and greatness. God didn’t create a beautiful world on a whim, it was an extension of His character. For Ballet 5:8, our passion is to create living art that reflects the glory of God. As a ministry organization, we are passionate about showing people the beauty of who God is and inviting them to experience that little taste of heaven, a place where our faith becomes sight, where wrongs will be made right and we will see with clear eyes the goodness of God. That’s the reason we exist, to show people the beauty and glory of God.
