La Llorona: Reclaiming a Latin American Legend
Julianna Rubio Slager
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 | 12:30 pm
UNM Center for the Arts | Room 1108
203 Cornell Dr.
About:
Drawing on Mexican folklore and the legend’s many Latin American tellings, Chicana choreographer Julianna Rubio Slager, a third-generation Mexican- American, shares how she reimagined La Llorona through María, a new mother experiencing postpartum depression. Through a short talk, accessible movement exploration, and conversation, participants will explore how music, movement, and cultural memory shape the stories we tell about women—and what changes when we listen to the woman inside the legend. No dance experience is necessary.
Julianna Rubio Slager is the artistic Director, Resident Choreographer, and Co-Founder of Ballet Five Eight, a professional ballet company based in the Chicago area. A Chicana choreographer and mother of three, she has created seventy ballets, including nineteen full-length works, exploring culture, identity, and human dignity. She was a 2023 National Visiting Fellow at the School of American Ballet.
Notes:
This event is free and open to the public.
