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frankfortstation.com life & Arts
the frankfort station | November 15, 2018 | 19
Ballet 5:8 to present 'The Nutcracker' with a twist
Submitted by Ballet 5:8
Ballet 5:8 School of the
Arts, the dance education
center of professional performing
company Ballet
5:8, will bring its signature
rendition of The Nutcracker
to Lincoln-Way West High
School on Dec. 15-16.
Ballet 5:8, a 501(c)3 nonprofit
organization based in
Frankfort, is dedicated to
engaging communities in
Chicago, the Midwest and
across the nation in conversation
of life and faith
through innovative storytelling
and breathtaking
dance.
The company’s “Beyond
the Nutcracker” features
150 local cast members from
its nationally-recognized
classical ballet training programs,
all custom-designed
costumes and sets and lead
roles danced by guest artists
from the Ballet 5:8 professional
company, including
lead artists Antonio Rosario
and Brette Benedict and
company artist Sam Opsal.
This Ballet 5:8 twist on the
classic Nutcracker invites
audiences to join Emma
for a magical adventure
that leads from World War
II London to the very first
Christmas. Performances
are at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on
Saturday, Dec. 15, and at 3
p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 16,
at Lincoln-Way West High
School Performing Arts
Center. An additional performance
this year will be
held on Saturday, Dec. 1, at
4 p.m. at Valparaiso High
School in Valparaiso, Ind.
Tickets are $18 for adults,
and $10 for children 12 and
under, and are available at
ballet58.org or by calling
(708) 329-8773.
Last year, three New
Lenox performances attracted
a record 1,600 audience
members. The production
is a highly accessible
alternative to attending a
performance downtown
Chicago, thanks to affordable
tickets ($18), free parking,
and a short drive for
most from across the South
Suburban area. The story
of Beyond the Nutcracker
— set in the 1940s — follows
Emma as she wonders
whether the story of the first
Christmas is real and invites
attendees to journey with
her Uncle Abrahms and
the angel Anastasis as they
travel across space and time
to find out. The production
offers audiences the same
basic format and music as
the traditional Nutcracker,
but the refreshing variety
of a new story and setting
that invites reflection on the
story of the first Christmas
— the nativity — and its
impact on our world today.
In Beyond the Nutcracker,
Uncle Abrahms, returning
from World War II, makes
it home just in time for the
Cooper family’s annual
Christmas party. Later, he
takes Emma to countries
all across the world in a hot
air balloon, on an adventure
that forever changes
Emma’s perspective on the
story of the first Christmas.
The professional Ballet
5:8 artists featured in the
production and choreographer
Julianna Rubio Slager,
Ballet 5:8 artistic director,
have received national recognition
through Ballet 5:8
professional performances
in Chicagoland and across
the nation. Ballet 5:8 has
been called “spectacular
and mature” by the Elgin
Review’s Jeffrey Pierce,
and Slager’s choreography
“consistently imaginative”
and “does not disappoint”
by Ken Norris of WKTV
Journal in Grand Rapids.
In Chicago, Kristi Licera
of Dancermusic.com called
Ballet 5:8’s Compass “an
evening of inspired choreography
and thought-provoking
performance,” and
Kristian Jamie of March
Magazine, San Antonio,
called Ballet 5:8’s Scarlet
an “effortless” adaptation of
classic literature. In Beyond
the Nutcracker, Slager’s
choreography and performances
by Benedict, Rosario
and Opsal are the perfect
addition to the Ballet 5:8
School of the Arts talented
cast that make the production
a favorite holiday destination
for area families.
Notably, the Ballet 5:8
School of the Arts cast for
Beyond the Nutcracker in
New Lenox features local
dancers from 25-plus area
communities, including
those who attend classes
at the company’s main location
in Frankfort, and at
satellite campuses in Beverly
in South Chicago and
at Trinity Christian College
in Palos Heights. Communities
represented by student
cast members include
Frankfort, New Lenox, Mokena,
Tinley Park, Orland
Park, Palos Heights, Kankakee,
Manhattan, Matteson,
Oak Forest, Crestwood,
Bolingbrook, Naperville,
Park Forest, Stickney, Coal
City, Country Club Hills,
Plainfield, Posen, Flossmoor,
Monee, Oswego,
Bradley, Homer Glen, Aurora,
Chicago and more.
Conservatory student Eva
Sernas, 14, of Homewood
will be dancing the lead role
of Emma in the production.
Another featured character,
the angel Anastasis, will be
performed by New Lenox
resident and Ballet 5:8
School of the Arts graduate
Daria Caravette, 18, currently
studying as a Trainee
with the Ballet 5:8 professional
company. Additional
cast members from the Ballet
5:8 Conservatory & Studio
Company include dancers
who have moved from
other states to train with the
company, including Tennessee,
Oregon, Iowa, Georgia,
Michigan, and Ohio.
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