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, including intermission.

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

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.