In a delicate interplay of movement and meaning, Ballet 5:8 illuminated the timeless truths of love and faith in Markel Auditorium on Sept. 17. Courtesy of the Hillsdale College Professional Artist Series, Chicago’s Ballet 5:8 delivered a performance that was not only visually captivating but also deeply introspective.

The Hillsdale College Professional Artist Series brings a dance company to campus each year to expose students and the community to professional artistry. Known for its excellence in the performing arts, Ballet 5:8 was chosen for its special proclivity for drawing inspiration from life, faith, and relevant 21st century stories, according to a press release.

Assistant Professor of Dance Holly Hobbs said Ballet 5:8’s repertoire reveals its commitment to these ideals. 

“Dance is a highly expressive performing art,” Hobbs said. “Ballet combines athleticism with artistry, making it an excellent vehicle for communicating a variety of emotions that reflect on human relationships.” 

Drawing from Makoto Fujimura’s “Four Holy Gospels” paintings, the dancers performed “Gospel Impressions,” first. Nuanced choreography and geometry brought the gospel stories to life, shedding light on them in a uniquely artistic and emotional manner. Then came “Golden Sessions,” a ballet choreographed by Artistic Director Julianna Rubio Slager and inspired by C.S. Lewis’ “The Four Loves.” In the “Golden Sessions,” Ballet 5:8 explored the depth of human emotion by translating the four distinct Greek words for love into one cohesive dance narrative, according to program pamphlets.

Every element, from the choreography to the costumes, lighting, and music choices successfully conveyed, to me, the meaning behind both ballet sessions. Delineated by these distinct artistic choices, each segment presented the four gospels and the four loves in a way that bridged the gap between one’s intellectual comprehension and emotional connection to the texts, all while visualizing universally invisible truths. 

In “Golden Sessions,” for example, shades of pink and red lights bathed the stage as the dancers conveyed the essence of each form of love. The soft pink hue of the dancers’ tutus in the first act of “Golden Sessions” captured the affectionate love between parents and children, “storge,” while their vivid fuchsia leotards in the second act depicted both the depth and warmth of close friendship, “philia.” 

As the lights dimmed, the passionate nature of romantic love, “eros,” was conveyed through costumes of rich burgundy. In the grand finale, dancers wore ombre tutus displaying a glorious amalgamation of all the previous colors. Representative of divine love, “agape,” their ombre tutus suggested that God’s unconditional love encompasses the other three loves while simultaneously transcending them. The play concluded with the dancers from the first three acts, “storge,” “philia,” and “eros,” bowing in reverence to agape love in acknowledgement of its supremacy. 

Audience members said they were enchanted. 

“I loved the colors and the costumes,” junior Lauren Smyth said. “It was very bright, easy to follow, and very beautiful. I danced for a long time and we did mostly story ballets, so to see repertoires where it’s just dance portraying a specific thing instead of an actual narrative was really cool.” 

Sophomore Samuel Jarzab, on the other hand, said he was particularly moved by the ballet’s subtle yet profound portrayal of each form of love, noting how every element of the production tied in together well. 

Several Ballet 5:8 dancers emphasized how “Golden Sessions” provided a more relational storytelling platform in contrast with the grand narrative of “Gospel Impressions.”

“Whereas Gospel Impressions is less emotional and more focused on Scripture, Golden Sessions is really special because it ties the two together,” said Valerie Linser, a solo artist with Ballet 5:8.

Solo artist Samuel Opsal explained the challenges of performing in two ballets which require slightly different creative approaches. 

“When training for ‘Gospel Impressions,’ I felt some of that abstraction, in a good way, in terms of how I portray various elements of the Gospel,” Opsal said. “Whereas in ‘Golden Sessions,’ I feel things more tangibly and in a little more of a direct way, specifically in terms of being able to see the physical and emotional aspects of love and passion.” 

Solo artist Sarah Clarke, agreeing with Linser and Opsal, talked about her favorite moment in the whole ballet. 

“In ‘Gospel Impressions,’ I was one of the four ‘The Word’ dancers, and there is one part in particular which I really enjoy. It’s very brief, but there is this moment where we all do a little circle around ourselves and fold into each other. That moment is supposed to be representative of a scroll, and there is something so tangible in that moment because it is both so simple and so powerful at the same time,” Clarke said. 

Hobbs said performances like this are important for the cultural and artistic growth of the college’s dance department. 

“Dance supports the liberal arts tradition by creating connections across disciplines, and Ballet 5:8’s performance of Golden Sessions is an exemplary example of this as it draws inspiration from C.S. Lewis’ The Four Loves,” she said. “Because of this experience, dancers in our program will be encouraged to explore how dance connects to the larger world, and hopefully, audience members from the community were moved by the performance.”

Hobbs even said it is her hope that such performances inspire the community to further engage with and support dance in and around Hillsdale College.

“The goal of the Professional Artist Series is to present high caliber performing arts for the community,” Hobbs said. “Each time we present a dance company we offer a master class for Tower Dancers, granting them an authentic experience with professionals in the field.” 

After watching such mastery of form and content, it was hard for me to leave the performance without a better understanding of the intricacies of love, and a deeper appreciation for the power of dance to communicate Gospel truths. Together, “Gospel Impressions” and “Golden Sessions” had the unitive effect of connecting the audience to the broader world through the universal language of dance and literature.