Podcast Episodes

Episode 96: Julianna Rubio Slager

March 14, 2023March 14, 2023 by Rachel Caldwell

Our guest for episode 96 is the lovely Julianna Rubio Slager! Julianna is the Co-founder, Artistic Director, and Resident Choreographer of Ballet 5:8 in Chicago. Julianna is a groundbreaking figure within the field of dance, as she is one of the few Mexican American Artistic Directors and Resident Choreographers of a professional ballet company. Her work is paving the way for other women and minorities in professional ballet.

She is an incredible choreographer and recently created her 50th work! She is known for engaging audiences in discussions of life and faith through her choreography. Julianna enjoys training and mentoring the next generation of aspiring artists at the School of Ballet 5:8’s Pre-Professional, Conservatory, and Trainee Programs.

In our conversation today, we talk about the importance of having various perspectives and voices in art, and particularly in dance. We chat about Julianna’s dance journey, including challenges she faced such as eating disorders and struggles with mental health. I love her heart to give life to everyone that she encounters – as a teacher, mom, mentor, and choreographer. I enjoyed hearing about her choreographic process and what her career as a choreographer has looked like so far. Julianna is an inspiration!

You can listen to the show HERE, and you can be sure not to miss a Creative Impact conversation by subscribing through your favorite podcast app (ie. Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher). We are so grateful to have you as a part of the Creative Impact community and would love it if you would share the show with your friends!

About Julianna:

Ballet 5:8 Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer Julianna Rubio Slager is originally from Spring Arbor, Michigan. Rubio Slager began her dance training with Mrs. Lori Ladwig and went on to study under notable teachers from the New York City Ballet, the Vaganova Academy and Puerto Rican National Ballet. Rubio Slager enjoyed dancing under Barbara Smith at Greater Lansing Ballet during her training, and also under Kathy Thibodeaux and Sol Maisonet at Ballet Magnificat. Upon moving to Chicago, Rubio Slager had the opportunity to work as a freelance artist, teacher and choreographer in the Greater Chicago area.

Rubio Slager co-founded Ballet 5:8 in 2012. Known for her unique ability to engage audiences in discussions of life and faith through her choreography, she has created over 45 works in her past decade at Ballet 5:8.

Ballet 5:8 tours nationally, bringing Rubio Slager’s critically acclaimed ballets such as Reckless, Butterfly, The Space in Between, Scarlet and Compass to audiences across the nation. Rubio Slager has won several grants from the Illinois Arts Council and was selected for the DCASE Individual Artist Grant in 2015.

Rubio Slager is a groundbreaking figure within the field, as one of the few Mexican American Artistic Directors and Resident Choreographers of professional ballet companies in the world. She hopes that her leadership and creative work at Ballet 5:8 will pave the way for other women and minorities to command space in professional ballet.

Over the past decade, Rubio Slager has enjoyed training and mentoring the next generation of aspiring artists at the School of Ballet 5:8’s Pre-Professional, Conservatory, and Trainee Programs. Her students have been awarded contracts, scholarships and placement with dance companies, colleges and training schools across the country. Notable placements include The School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Orlando Ballet, The Kirov School, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, Charlotte Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Alonzo King Lines, Joffrey Ballet and Ballet 5:8.

Links from the Show:

Important Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. You pay nothing extra; any commission I earn comes at no additional cost to you.