“I was utterly floored. The portrayal of each person was not mimicry, or a caricature, but a brief, visceral window into their soul. I am moved, haunted, and yet, uplifted and I am not ashamed to say that I was brought to tears.”
- Audience Member, Butterfly World Premiere
From the whispers of the past we hear a resound that cannot be silenced. Every human, male or female, beautiful or plain, desirable or marginalized, born of privilege or born of poverty, each one is precious and created with purpose. The remnants of art from the nearly forgotten children of Terezin beckon each of us to see the future with clear eyes that recognize and protect the deepest magic there is - the chaos and wonder that is the gift of life.
This March, join Ballet 5:8 for Julianna Rubio Slager's newest work, Butterfly, inspired by the collection of poems and artwork known as "I Never Saw Another Butterfly." This performance will also feature Slager's new work Of Splendors and Horrors, and a World Premiere by Guest Choreographer Kevin Jenkins. More at ballet58.org
“The various artworks left behind by this great woman and the children of Terezin are their legacy to the present, to all of us today. They demand that we continue in our quest for a society that truly treasures human life, transcending all differences of race, religion, politics and ideology….” -Tokyo Fuji Art Museum founder Daisaku Ikeda
During the Holocaust, the Nazi’s settled 140,000 Jews in the town of Terezin. Nazi proganda promoted it as a “spa town” where Jewish children and elderly could retire in safety away from the forced labor camps. The ghetto in Terezin existed for 3 ½ years and caused the death of 90% of its residents.
From the ashes of this hellscape, glimmers of hope emerge. A Jewish art teacher refuses to let the children of Terezin die without hope. She challenges her students to create art that speaks of their misery but also of the hope that lies within. As the residents of Terezin die of malnutrition and debilitating disease, one survivor collects these works of art to tell the story of human evil, suffering and resilience.
