By K.D. Norris
In a time of national need to navigate the sometimes-turbulent currents of cultural diversity issues, and the tension such debate and differences can lead to, a local dance program will attempt to provide a compass over the troubled waters.
The Chicago-based Ballet 5:8 dance company will make its Grand Rapids area debut this week with a program titled “Compass”, four one-act ballets inspired by the challenges of navigating cultural tension, Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Devos Center for Arts and Worship.
Ballet 5:8, now in its sixth performance season, has performed in Jackson for the past four seasons. Ballet 5:8’s mission, according to supplied material, is “shaped by a desire to engage audiences in meaningful discussion through innovative storytelling and the beauty and power of professional dance.”
The four “Compass” dances, according to supplied material, will approach the issue in different ways — “From an alien society to 1970’s Chicago, Compass stretches across time and space to explore some of our country’s most pressing topics. At times witty and satirical, and at times deeply emotional, Compass is full of athleticism, power and poetry.”
The four original ballets in the Compass program include works inspired by poems authored by African-American abolitionist and women’s rights activist, Sojourner Truth, and Pulitzer Prize author and Chicagoan, Gwendolyn Brooks.
Among the Ballet 5:8 dancers performing in Grand Rapids is company apprentice Emily Ratkos, a Michigan native who in her first season with the company. A recent graduate of Ballet 5:8’s Trainee Program, Emily moved to Grand Rapids at the age of 16 to train with the Grand Rapids Ballet School under Attila Mosolygo before joining Ballet 5:8 as a trainee in 2016.
A single performance of “Compass” will hit the stage at 7 p.m. The Devos Center for Arts and Worship is located at 2300 Plymouth Ave. SE. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for students and seniors, and $15 for children. Tickets can be purchased at ballet58.org or by calling 312-725-4752.
After the performance, audience members are invited to stay for a Ballet 5:8 tradition, the Talk Back. During this panel discussion, Ballet 5:8 Artistic Director Julianna Slager and artists of the company discuss questions, comments and feedback on the performance with audience members.
