Learn how to get your hair performance ready with Ballet 5:8 Second Company Artist Sophia Snider.

What is a ballet uniform made of? Learn about tights, leotards, hair and shoes for girls.

Learn about the different types of shoes used for dance.

If you've never taken ballet before, but you're enrolling your budding ballerina in classes for the first time, its natural to have some questions! Today's post will begin to tackle the uniform from the ground up - with the shoes.

How do ballet dancers dance on their toes? In this post, Ballet Mistress Mrs. Lauren Ader-Cumpston explains.

Dancing en pointe is the trademark of the ballerina. But where did this idea of dancing “en pointe” come from? Why in the world did someone decide to dance on the tops of their toes?!?! Ballet Mistress Mrs. Cumpston explains.

ORLAND PARK, IL – In celebration of their tenth anniversary, Ballet 5:8 School of the Arts has been rebranded to the School of Ballet 5:8, better reflecting the affiliation between the pre-professional dance school and professional touring company, Ballet 5:8. Under the leadership of Artistic Director and co-founder Julianna Rubio Slager, the School has grown to serve over 400 students each year at three different campuses, including Orland Park, IL, Beverly (Chicago), and Valparaiso, IN. Classical ballet training, recreational dance classes, and adult dance-fitness classes make the School’s trusted expertise accessible to students of all ages and abilities.

Orland Park – The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the rhythm of our everyday lives. Ballet 5:8 is responding by launching a new online dance education platform, Ballet 5:8 NOW, that takes the company’s trusted dance education programs online and into the homes of aspiring dancers around the world. The monthly subscription service is now available for dancers of all ages and levels of ability, as a way to supplement their current training or dance completely at home, at their level and their schedule. Learn more at now.ballet58.org.

Orland Park – Just like in the rest of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has had countless impacts in the dance community as dance companies and schools have closed their physical spaces and gone virtual. Nonetheless, amid weeks and months of dancers taking classes in their kitchens and living rooms, there has been a silver lining: when you take class online, the possibilities for collaboration are limitless. On June 20, Ballet 5:8 is taking advantage of this by hosting a virtual master class series featuring five master teachers from around the U.S. and is extending the invitation to dancers anywhere. The added bonus: dancing for a cause. All of the proceeds will be donated to World Relief. Registration for a single class is $15 and $40 for the full series. For more information and to register, visit ballet58.org/hope.

March 31, ORLAND PARK - “Shelter-in-place” has turned life upside down across the South Suburbs, but Ballet 5:8 is providing an incredible online program that gives students a bit of normal in the midst of the chaos. Nonprofit Ballet 5:8 School of the Arts provides dance education for over 400 students in the Chicago south suburbs and northwest Indiana, and the studio has become a second home to many of them. So when in-person classes were postponed due to COVID-19, the staff at Ballet 5:8 made an ambitious change -- they would transform their organization to meet the changing needs of their students.

November 14, 2019 ORLAND PARK, IL – As the holidays approach, the sounds of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet score are drifting through Ballet 5:8 studios in anticipation of performances this December - for a fifth year in a row. Ballet School of the Arts, the dance education center of professional performing company Ballet 5:8, originally premiered its signature rendition of The Nutcracker in 2015. Since it’s premiere, the ballet has warmed the hearts of thousands of audience members each year thanks to its delightful combination of classic Nutcracker tradition and the joy of the very first Christmas.

October 1, 2019 ORLAND PARK, IL - Ballet Five Eight NFP (Ballet 5:8), a nonprofit arts organization has been awarded a third grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA): $10,900 for general operating support. The grant will be partially supporting Ballet 5:8 operations between September, 2019 and August, 2020. Ballet 5:8 is committed to investing in Illinois communities, artists and residents through innovative storytelling and breathtaking dance, as well as high-quality, accessible dance education. Ballet 5:8 is looking forward to continuing its work in Illinois in part through this support.