Dancer dressed as Edgar Allan Poe with top hat holds dying ballerina arm down with coral dress.

Resident Company

The Curious Life of Edgar Allan Poe

Ballet 5:8

Performances

Apr 18 Sat 7:30PM

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Performance Run Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes, no intermission.

What if Edgar Allan Poe’s world was not just dark, but tender? Not just terrifying, but heartbreakingly human?
This production explores the truths we cannot escape: death, grief, shame, violence, while asking what remains when everything else falls away.

The answer is love.

The Curious Life of Edgar Allan Poe is a groundbreaking new ballet by Julianna Rubio Slager and Glorielle Niedfeldt, blending neo-classical ballet and African Diaspora movement. Supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of America 250, it reimagines Poe’s life through his stories as a redemptive exploration of grief, beauty, and moral awakening.

*After the performance, we have a free event for all patrons!

We’ll be hosting a Masquerade ball with LIVE music and contradance in the Lobby directly after the show. This is your chance to meet the artists, enjoy discussing the show and getting to participate in the joy of dance.

For the masquerade, you are welcome to dress up as much or as little as you like! We do have some guests coming in full period clothing, others in semi-formal wear, and some will just come as they are! We have masks for everyone, or you may also bring your own.

We hope you’ll come for the performance and stay for the Masquerade!

About Ballet 5:8

Ballet 5:8 is a female- and minority-led professional ballet company based in Chicago, directed by Julianna Rubio Slager. Ballet 5:8 sparks discussion on life, faith, and human dignity through powerful storytelling and breathtaking dance. Our work challenges assumptions—about who ballet is for, where it belongs, and what it can say.

Sixteen Ballet 5:8 company dancers posed in three rows, some seated in pointe shoes and others standing. They wear leotards and dance apparel in soft blue and orange tones.

A Pre-Show Conversation with Harry Lee Poe

Location: Donor Room at the Harris Theater, LL2
Conversation: 6:30PM | Performance: 7:30PM
Conversation Tickets are $15

All attendees of The Poe Prologue must also have tickets for The Curious Life of Edgar Allan Poe.

Event Description:
Begin your evening with The Curious Life of Edgar Allan Poe by stepping into The Poe Prologue, an exclusive pre-show experience designed for the curious and the literary-minded. Join us for an intimate Q&A with Harry Lee Poe, acclaimed scholar and relative of Edgar Allan Poe, as he offers personal insight into the life, legacy, and enduring mystery of the legendary writer.

Guests will enjoy light bites while exploring the man behind the myth before taking their seats for the performance.

Purchase Conversation Tickets