Ballet 5:8 6th Season Benefit Gala Campaign

Ballet 5:8's mission is to engage audiences in Chicago, and Midwest and the nation in conversation of life and faith through innovative storytelling and breathtaking dance. As a nonprofit organization with a passion to keep our programming accessible to a wide public audience, Ballet 5:8 relies on the partnership of donors to cover operating expenses not covered by ticket sales and tuition alone. This online silent auction to support our ongoing Benefit Gala Campaign for Ballet 5:8's 6th season. Highlights of our season include the creation of four new ballets for "Compass: Navigating Cultural Tension with Compassion," taking our ballet/film hybrid adaption of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" on a national tour, and continuing to expand our dance education programs at three area campuses that give students from all backgrounds and walks of life the chance to study classical ballet at a professional level in a faith-filled environment where students thrive. Proceeds from this auction will go toward our goal to raise $60,000 by December 31 and will practically pay for expenses including costume creation, travel transportation, media creation, and scholarships for students in financial need.

As one of the only Christian professional ballet companies in the U.S. and the world, Ballet 5:8 has become a forerunner in the unique but vital work of creating and engaging with culture from the basis of our faith. The mission of Ballet 5:8 is to engage communities in Chicago, the Midwest and across the nation in conversation of life and faith 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 our Christian faith.

Ballet 5:8 was founded in 2012 by Julianna Rubio Slager and Amy Kozol Sanderson as a publicly supported nonprofit organization. Celebrating its Sixth Performance Season, Ballet 5:8 has a growing roster of professional dancers and an expanding repertoire of original, innovative works created by Slager and contemporary creatives. The company shares the beauty, power and inspiration of professional dance with thousands of audience members each season across Chicago, the Midwest, and the nation through over 40 performances in settings ranging from professional theaters to school gyms.

Ballet 5:8’s dance education center, Ballet 5:8 School of the Arts, extends the company’s mission to over 250 students each year at campuses in Frankfort, IL, Chicago (Beverly), and Valparaiso, IN. The school includes a nationally-recognized classical ballet training program, a range of recreational dance classes for all ages and levels of ability, and a uniquely nurturing environment where students thrive. Ballet 5:8 is passionate about training and equipping the artists of tomorrow, and about investing in local communities through high-quality dance education that is widely accessible to children, youth and families from all backgrounds and walks of life.