Most people are familiar with the story of “Dracula” even if they’ve never read Bram Stoker’s famous novel where a young man named Jonathan Harker travels to assist Count Dracula. It isn’t long before the vampiric count peers into Harker’s mind and sees an image of his beautiful fiancée, Mina Murray. Is it love at first sight or something darker? Only time will tell, and the story gets bloodier — and sexier — from there.
While Dracula may be the first literary vampire that comes to mind, he wasn’t the first to exist in literature. Stoker’s tale of the lonely vampire was based on folklore he heard as a child and other works like Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s “Carmilla” and John William Polidori’s “The Vampyre.” Stoker even borrowed the name of his antagonist from history: Vlad Tepes, or Vlad Dracula, a Wallachian ruler.
I spoke with the current Executive Director of BalletMet, Sue Porter, who has a personal history with the ballet based on this classic tale: “I am so excited. It’s really interesting that Dracula was actually created 25 years ago by a former artistic director here, David Nixon, and one of the reasons it’s so special to me is that David is very special to me. When I was a young lawyer, minding my business in my office, at a large law firm in Florida, one of my partners came in and said, ‘Oh, you can do immigration work, right? And you helped bring in this artistic director.’ I was like, well, yeah, sure. I knew nothing about the ballet, and I brought in David, and we started a now 25-year-plus friendship as a part of that. He’s the reason I got involved in BalletMet.”
The more I spoke to Porter, the more it became clear that she had an incredible grasp on the story and perhaps just as much of a passion for it as David Nixon, the original creator of the ballet.
“This Dracula is a production that I think is for a more mature audience — not in any way a kid’s production. I think when you listen to David, he describes that it’s about the tension and the focus of the tension between Dracula’s vampire instinct to kill and the human instinct. […] He’s, you know, hungry and wants victims, and yet he meets the incredible Mina, this beautiful woman, and [he’s] not sure that he’s going to actually want to make her a vampire as well. That tension between the instinct to kill and the instinct to love comes through, and it just ends up in a beautiful story.”
Columbus’ BalletMet is bringing back this crowd-pleaser for the first time in six years. Since then, many things have changed. New careers have begun, and familiar faces have moved on. For the 2024 production of “Dracula,” only six dancers from the previous run are still with the company, leaving room for new blood, new life and a fresh take on the ballet.
With such a captivating show, the talented cast is bound to steal some scenes. The principal roles have already been cast and announced: Miguel Anaya, Joan Sebastian Zamora and David Ward will dance Dracula. Grace-Anne Powers, Francesca Dugarte and Sophie Miklosovic will portray the lovely Mina. And Rie Matsuura, Iris Dávila and Jessica Brown will fill the role of the untamable Lucy.
Nixon’s choreography shapes the characters just as much as the dancers. Flawless pointe work, innocent costumes and hands clasped in prayer reflect Mina Murray’s piety. Dracula, in contrast, moves across the stage like a predator, snapping necks and taking pleasure from his victims. His cape billows like bat wings and the strength of his movement makes him almost inhuman beside Mina’s grace.
Nixon’s “Dracula” differs significantly from “The Nutcracker.” While classical ballet elements remain, such as Mina’s opening piqué arabesque, “Dracula” is more interpretive. You won’t find anything like the unsettling moment when Dracula’s arm trembles, overtaken by some dark force before he collapses. The choreography and the characters are intertwined, making this ballet a hauntingly mesmerizing experience.
This year’s iteration of “Dracula” is slightly updated. Porter informed me that BalletMet recently spent two weeks with Nixon. Striving for perfection, his goal was to bring out the best in the dancers and to relight the ballet with more modern technology. After all, 25 years have passed and stage lighting has improved by leaps and bounds, making it so audiences can expect an enhanced show.
In Porter’s position, you have the privilege of seeing rehearsals from time to time. “I saw the last rehearsal on Friday before David left and it was wonderful to see him working with the dancers,” she said. “Really, at the end, to say how amazing it is that even though this ballet is 25 years old, dancers bring it to life. He was so impressed with what our current dancers were doing with it.”
If you’re still unsure about going to a ballet, take it from Porter who has a daughter in her senior year at The Ohio State University: “As I say, my daughter, who’s now a senior at Ohio State, came and brought all of her roommates a few years ago. They were sort of like, ooh, ballet. Not so sure they’ll love it. In fact, they’ll probably be coming back. I mean, this is a ballet that once you see it, you want to see it again. […] I think it’s perfect.”
BalletMet’s “Dracula” offers a thrilling blend of classical technique and dark, evocative storytelling that leaves a lasting impression. Nixon’s imaginative choreography and a cast of talented dancers bring these iconic characters to life, and this production promises to captivate audiences with its intensity, beauty and haunting atmosphere. Whether you’re a fan of ballet, vampire lore or both, this performance breathes new life into a timeless tale.