Bruce Steivel’s Dracula is intense. As ballet, it pushes the dance form to its limits. As theatre, his powerful, twisting scenes interlace good and evil with expressive dance requiring dancers to extend themselves to express wildly opposing emotions. You don’t have to love ballet to love Steivel’s Dracula.

Fast-forward to 1897...London...an engagement party unfolds in the pastoral setting of Lucy Westenra’s home, where her successful party for her friend Mina was celebrating Mina and Jonathan’s imminent marriage. Lucy was also quite busy with the flirtatious attentions of three men: Dr. Seward, Quincey Morris and Sir Arthur Godalming. Strains of Strauss were perfect for these scenes. Lucy’s cheerful party ended abruptly when a messenger brought instructions from Jonathan’s firm to travel to Transylvania to procure Count Vladimir’s signature for a real estate transaction.

Upon his arrival in Transylvania, poor Jonathan was in for several surprises. The Count seemed unusually interested in his bride-to-be’s portrait in his valise. The Count’s wives seemed unusually interested in Jonathan. He’s sure they are all vampires. Narrowly escaping with his life, he returns to London only to find the Count is also there, menacing his Mina. The Count carelessly ensnares Lucy, as she is the first he encounters in his search for Mina. Von Helsing, a vampire ‘specialist’ is engaged to aid Lucy’s predicament—by gouging a stake into her heart. Already ‘bitten’, Lucy actually isn’t interested in being ‘saved’ at that juncture. The story unfolds relentlessly, torment and intrigue, lust and love, anger and revenge all played out against the backdrop of Victorian morays of good and evil.

The second cast triangle was played equally well. Young Zeb Nole, his light agility, latent strength and lithe precision, an interesting high contrast to Erhan’s dark, burly looks and strong movements. Racheal Hummel-Nole brought to the role her bemused ease, flowing through her Mina with such flair. Soloist, Joseph Kennedy had the opportunity to integrate into the company in a leading character, his talent evident. Elena Shokhina, in the first cast as Lucy, was wonderful, as was Kara Hamburg of the second cast. John Surdick masterfully portrayed Von Helsing.

Truly shining with dazzling movements were Dracula’s three wives, displaying remarkable versatility in the unusual requirements of Steivel’s staging for some of their numbers. They by far had the most lascivious of the dance movements, some quite difficult to execute. The women who answered that challenge were Rebecca Brimhall, Cathy Colbert, Melissa Rose Sharples for the first cast, and Edilsa Armendariz, Alissa Dale and Jennifer Fesler in the second cast. The wives activities added to the flamboyance and risk factor for Steivel’s vision, which got some chatter at intermission. What delicious fun that was...everyone is a critic.

Don’t forget to snag tickets for The Nutcracker. Their click is: www.nevadaballet.com  and for Nutcracker tickets directly: www.nevadaballet.com/buy.html

 Monday, January 2 – 

Saturday, January 13                 Academy of Nevada Ballet Theatre January Classes Begin Register by January 13.

Friday, January 26                     Inside the Dancers Studio: An All Balanchine Program: From Tchaikovsky to Gershwin - An intimate and behind the scenes experience at a Company rehearsal plus a brief “insider’s” view of the ballet by Artistic Director Bruce Steivel. By invitation only. Media welcome. 4 – 5 p.m.  Nevada Ballet Theatre, 1651 Inner Circle. Special Guest: Balanchine Repetitur Sandy Jenkins will be working with the company to stage the works of George Balanchine.