‘Dracula’ World Premiere is Out of this World

State Street Ballet’s (SSB) Dracula: A Dark Shadow was absolutely breathtaking. Everything I wrote in my preview was amplified 1,000-fold on stage. Like the overtones in the perfectly tuned strings of the Kronos quartet who played on stage, the layers of meaning and nuance in the Nicolas Blanc choreography, the magical sets by Jack Mehler, and elaborate-yet-danceable costumes by Ben-Oni Cortes combined with the technical and dramatic skill of the dancers to create one of the most captivating, riveting, and heart-pounding performances I have ever seen. 

Nicolas Blanc’s neoclassical choreography was fascinating, and perfectly navigated the topography of the Philip Glass score. The lifts were unbelievably innovative, combining ballet with elements from pairs figure skating, such as breathtaking throws and catches and sudden drops. The shocking-but-tasteful intimacy Blanc dared to portray between Dracula and his victims, both male and female, was so very sexy. 

Blanc said of the Glass score, “It gives you the truth to narrate the story, and to feel almost physically speaking what I should choreograph on that music.” And, having the Kronos Quartet, for whom Glass originally wrote the score, elaborately costumed, playing above the stage as if in another dimension, propelled the story with ferocious urgency.  

The dancers’ superb performances were nurtured in a true synergistic collaboration that began last summer, with weekly international “dancer Dracula book club” Zoom sessions, “with dancers all over the U.S., in Sicily and Japan, and Nicolas in France,” said SSB Board President, Dr. Nicole Callahan, former English professor at Columbia University, who led the seminars.  “We met weekly on Zoom to discuss two or three chapters of the book at a time, so that the dancers could be familiar with the story, but also aware of the changes Nic and I made in the adaptation for the ballet.” Blanc said, “I loved diving into the psychology of each character, understanding their motivation and ways of interacting with each other.” 

Beyond the technical prowess of each dancer, their dramatic portrayals achieved new heights. From innocence with a bit of foreboding in Act I, to outright terror in Act II, each character’s evolution was brilliant and riveting. 

Jonathan Harker (Ethan Ahuero) begins as a frightened fellow, scared by wolves, almost falling for Dracula’s vampire brides, and terrified in an outrageously sexy pas de deux with Dracula in Act I. In Act II, after returning to London to find Lucy dead, he finds his hero chops, bravely fighting Dracula to reclaim Mina and ultimately killing him. The audience felt his shock as he looked in horror at his blood-stained hands.

Lucy (Saori Yamashita) begins as a cheerful young woman in Act I. She is turned into a vampire by Dracula in another outrageously sexy pas de deux involving spectacular lifts and rolling together on the floor. When Dracula bites her neck, it is simultaneously exciting and frightening. By Act II, her whole being has transformed into a terrifying undead creature. Such a portrayal of opposites required of one dancer reminds me of the Odette/Odile challenge in Swan Lake.

Mina (Maria Rita Rapisarda) starts out in Act I as Jonathan’s loving fiancée and friend to Lucy and Renfield. In Act II, after she learns of Lucy’s death, she starts to unravel. It is in this vulnerable state that Dracula finds her and tricks her into tasting his blood. Their pas de deux is a spectacular blend of daring lifts and dramatic chase. Rapisarda’s portrayal of Mina’s confusion, alternating between attraction to Dracula and revulsion, was captivating. I felt a sigh of relief when she finally snapped out of it.

Paul Rivard’s evolution as Renfield was absolutely brilliant. In a sensual and frightening pas de deux in Act I, he is irresistibly drawn to Dracula. Although Dracula does not actually bite him, he goes mad. As an insect-eating inmate in an asylum in Act II, Rivard’s portrayal of Renfield’s pitiful insanity reached into every heart in the audience. 

Ryan Lenkey’s emotional journey as Dr. Van Helsing was more direct than that of the other characters, but every bit as fascinating. As Lenkey said during rehearsals, “[Van Helsing] knows exactly how dangerous Dracula is, and he walks toward that danger anyway.” He begins as a scholarly doctor, interested in the way the mind works (symbolized by a brief duet with a skull). After his efforts to cure Renfield and Lucy, and his desperate attempt to help Mina, fail, Van Helsing kills the vampire brides and other undead creatures in a nail-biting battle. 

And finally: the evil, alluring, frightening, irresistible Count Dracula. Tigran Sargsyan was the perfect Dracula. Besides looking the part, Sargsyan is more than a principal dancer; he is a master dancer, both technically and dramatically. His technique is breathtaking, his partnering impeccable and oh- so-smooth. Sargsyan’s Dracula was a majestic nobleman, very controlled and understated in his evilness, and deep-yet-subtle in his sex appeal. In the final scenes of Act II, he released all his raw energy, portraying a creature who is both terrifying and terrified. 

In the final battle, like a relentless roller coaster, the action does not stop. The vampire brides and ghouls, now with Lucy among them, burst onto the stage, the wolves re-appear, and Dracula himself runs through the fray. At one point, Sargsyan jumped so high that he appeared to fly across the stage as if suspended in the air. The audience cheered.

In the end, as Dracula lies alone, a tall figure with a wolf’s head, dressed in a long, black hooded robe, slowly crosses the stage. Is this death personified? Or is it Dracula’s wolf spirit, implying that the immortal Dracula lives on? 

Dracula received a screaming, standing ovation from the sold-out theater. The applause continued even after the curtain dropped. 

Megan Phillip, artistic director, said: “I’m so proud of everyone involved in this ballet. Nic was such a joy to have here. He will definitely be back; we are already working on possible future projects!” 

I certainly hope so.

For information on State Street Ballet’s upcoming performances and other events, see statestreetballet.com