Ballet 5:8’s groundbreaking production, Scarlet, uses classical ballet and film to bring a story inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter to life. The dramatic full-length ballet follows the iconic Hester, a young woman caught in adultery, as she struggles to find peace and restoration in the midst of a hypocritical and harsh early-American Puritan society. Scarlet features original choreography by Ballet 5:8 Artistic Director Julianna Slager, film elements directed by choreographer and film producer Preston Miller, spoken word by Chicago-based artist Kylla Pate, and a score by American modernist composer Charles Ives.