Based on a legendary Mexican tale, La Llorona, or the Weeping Woman, debuts Saturday at the Harris Theater in Chicago.
Generations of children have grown up afraid of La Llorona but in this interpretation of the age-old Mexican tale, is the story of a mom just trying to find her way.
Ballet 5:8 choreographer and mom of three, Julianna Rubio Slager is Mexican-American. She said this performance is personal and plays out her own experience after the birth of her second child.
"I felt very disconnected. I felt like he was somebody else's child," said Rubio Slager.
After seeking help, Rubio said it was her sister who inspired her to put the pain to purpose.
"My younger sister, when she had her second child, called me crying one day and said, I keep having this vision of me stabbing my baby with scissors. And she said, I don't know what's wrong with me," said Rubio Slager.
Those dark thoughts are seen in la Llorona. It's told through the eyes of Maria, a mother who becomes violent during her postpartum depression. And like many moms, taught to withhold feelings for the benefit of having a family.
It's why every detail from the whimsical, vibrant skirts to the hand-stamped embroidery, was made with intention by Lorianne Robertson who plays the role that symbolizes postpartum depression.
"My goal is that you would see the hard but that you would also see the beauty that comes out of that." said Lorianne Robertson.
It's a beauty often overlooked for Latina moms.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Hispanic women were less likely to report and be diagnosed with postpartum depression than their white counterparts.
"Art is something that can help us understand the world that we're in," said Rubio Slager.
Rubio Slager said the ballet is meant to bring awareness but also be a love letter to the ones she fought for.
"I would want them to just look at this and go," said Rubio Slager.
"My mama loves me so, so much to fight tooth and nail, to claw her way back from that darkness. And I hope that they see it, and they're reminded of just how valuable and precious they are to me," said Rubio Slager.