Review: Aiken ballet's remarkable rendition of 'Dracula'
The Aiken Civic Ballet performed their second annual “Dracula” at the Etherredge Center last weekend, featuring remarkable choreography by international ballet dancer, Norbert Nirewicz.
Based on the Bram Stoker novel by the same name, this spooky and entertaining ballet tells the tale of English real estate agent, Jonathan Harker, who visits a village in Transylvania to meet with his client, Count Dracula. Harker later discovers that his client is a vampire and the action follows his attempts to stop him from taking the lives of his companions.
Kristopher Wojtera, who portrayed Harker in the show, seemed more focused on choreography than character. He is a talented dancer, but fell short in illustrating a complex, affective performance.
Though Harker is the supposed hero of this tale, he lacks personality and is surprisingly undiscerning at times. At the beginning of act one, he passes through a town on the way to the Count’s castle. The townspeople- who are notably cheery for a group regularly plagued by vampires and wolves- try to stop him from going and even place a string of garlic bulbs around his neck before he rushes off-stage.
Following his departure, they are tormented by an especially adorable pack of wolf children. Soon after, the wolves chase Jonathan himself. He escapes and we get our first glimpse at the shadowy figure of Dracula, who seems to have some sort of control over the wolves.
Finally, Harker reaches the castle and is momentarily distracted by the antics of the hunchbacked servant, Igor, before the title character enters. Igor, played by 17-year-old dancer, Patrick Grant, serves as a bizarrely hilarious comic relief in an otherwise dark and edgy performance.
Grant has only been seriously dancing for two and a half years but is already a strikingly talented young performer. This was his second time performing in the Aiken Civic Ballet’s “Dracula” and this year he played three different characters.
He mentioned that he was surprised to receive the three roles that he did, as they “were definitely more difficult…last year.”
“After seeing what the professionals did, I realized I wanted to do this and I needed to become more committed and train harder,” he continued enthusiastically.
Grant’s efforts, along with his obvious talent for modern ballet, were well-received by the audience, who swarmed to praise him after the show.
In the most effective performance of the night, the vampire brides of Dracula seduced the audience. Elena Bozzone, Elaina Massey and Blaire Vaughn blended in talent with the professional dancers in the cast, managing to hold on to their convincing and captivating characters till the very end.
In the final scene of Act one, Harker is bedeviled by the brides, though he manages to escape from their clutches when daylight puts them to sleep.
Beginning with an anxious waltz, Act Two reveals that Harker has returned to England, followed by a disguised Count Dracula, who dances among the unsuspecting cohort of party-goers.
Dr. Abraham Van Helsing enters for the first time, obviously apprehensive among the animated crowd of dancers.
Though actor Brian Maddox played the character well, the costuming department seems to have confused a nineteenth century priest with a medieval monk. In this version, Van Helsing is dressed in a brown hooded robe, with a long cross necklace, though he is traditionally portrayed in a suit with a clergy collar.
We also meet Harker’s fiancée, Mina Murray, along with Arthur and Lucy Holmwood, who are hosting the party.
The clearly distraught Holmwoods share a dramatic duet, somehow fighting both for and against their relationship. He leaves and she laments; a tale as old as time.
LeeAnn Elder, who plays Lucy Holmwood, clearly holds her strength as a dancer in the sheer length of her movements. Her choreography, both solo and duet, is full of long, elegant forms and outstretched limbs, as though her character is reaching for something more in life.
Though Mina tries to offer comfort after Lucy’s argument with her husband, she later leaves and Lucy is left alone. She briefly mourns, but is suddenly spooked. Can she hear that sinister music or is the creepy feeling mutual?
Dracula enters and attempts to seduce her through dance. She seems remarkably unperturbed by his advances at first, dancing willingly with him- clearly enamored by his charms. She suddenly attempts an escape, as if she remembers her dear husband.
The count wins his prize, with a strikingly dark bite scene. Her whole body shuddered and slipped into an almost seizure-like state. Does she shake in despair or ecstasy? The audience is left wondering.
Now, the half-beauty, half-beast enchantress no longer fights her transition, but rather her husband and friends. They struggle with her briefly and finally she is presumed dead at the end of act two.
Act three begins in a cemetery, where Lucy Holmwood is laid to rest. Her husband mourns among his friends, clearly distraught that it was he who left her unprotected. William Smith plays an impassioned and intense Arthur Holmwood.
Soon after, the cohort leave and are replaced by an exceptionally adorable swarm of little bats, fluttering around the cemetery. They fly away, replaced by a band of spiders, who are soon after chased off by a chaotic troop of teenaged “dark creatures,” who climb through the audience and onto the stage.
The “dark creatures” were well-synchronized in their choreography, especially for a group of young performers who may not have as many years under their belts as some of the older dancers.
Dracula enters, accompanied by his many brides. Does the transparent, red cloth, which glides ethereally over Lucy and her new master, represent the final stage of her transition into the undead?
Suddenly, enter Friar Robin and his band of merry men (Dr. Van Helsing and his cohort). The vampires hide behind curtains of gray cloth, jumping out and attacking Van Helsing.
Finally, Mina enters and is surprised by Dracula. She seems easy to seduce and is almost won by the Count before the men return to chase him with crosses.
Nirewicz, as the titular character, was the obvious star of the show. He demonstrated his skill and power with a series of incredible lifts, even raising the dainty Bethany Cooke (Mina) onto his back- followed by roaring applause from the audience.
Dracula fights for his life (or lack thereof), but is thwarted. Once again, as Western traditions go, good always triumphs and evil is destroyed.
The ending was certainly exciting, but lacked the catharsis of other good versus evil tales. Of course, this is no fault of the talented cast and producers, but rather in Stoker’s story itself.
The show certainly fulfilled the goal of company’s president, Dawn Smith, who said that they were “looking for something a little edgy” compared to their previous productions of fairytales like “Cinderella” and “Snow White.”
There were few technical errors in the entire production, save for the stark and awkward musical transitions and that sturdy, immovable line of gray cloth that just would not fall down.
Overall, the sets were noteworthy, the music was conducive and the cast was extraordinary. Aiken Civic Ballet, Nirewicz and the rest of the cast gave a fantastic and spooky performance, just in time for the Halloween season.
The show left me wanting more, which means that I- among others in this community- will return to see another performance of “Dracula” next fall.
This review includes the opinions of the author and does not necessarily reflect those held by other staff members or the newspaper itself.
Photo courtesy of Aiken Civic Ballet company.
