Something spooky is taking over the Koger Centerstage, and it’s just in time for Halloween.
The 20th anniversary performance of “Dracula,”Columbia City Ballet’sclassic Halloween crowd-pleaser, begins Thursday night, Oct. 29, and is sure to provide perfect, frightfully unique entertainment for for both USC students and other Columbia residents.
The performance, choreographed by William Starrett, Columbia City Ballet’sartistic director,turns classical ballet on its head and gives the art form an unexpected edge in this creative interpretation of Bram Stoker’sclassic horror novel.
“It is so different from ‘The Nutcracker’ or ‘Aladdin’ — where it does have that kind of sexy, sensual feel,” said Alexandra Cebry, Columbia City Ballet’s director of marketing. “It’s very dramatic, there’s a lot of effects, like we have bats and blood and everything like that.”
Aside from the impressive sets and realistic effects, this Halloween favorite also boasts an in-depth exploration of the bone-chilling tale of a bloody cast of characters, featuring, of course, Count Draculahimself, along with his victims: the tragic Lucy, and also a character newly added to the ballet, the troubled Renfield.All of the characters possess complex differences, and the ballet strives to exhibit the varied personalities.
“Each vampire likes different things, so Draculalikes the human blood, Lucylikes the blood of children and Renfieldactually prefers to eat the blood of maggots and flies,” Cebrysaid. “So it kind of shows the different character of each, and, of course, because it’s ballet, it doesn’t have any speaking parts, so what’s really great about our company is that they have that theatrical aspect where they can really act out these parts.”
The in-depth, vampiric storyline, creepy visuals and departure from typical classical ballet pacing and choreography make “Dracula”the perfect ballet performance for audiences that wouldn’t necessarily consider themselves ballet aficionados, especially USC students.
Dini Tetrickis a company dancer with Columbia City Balletwho will be performing as a gypsy and a member of the Undead in “Dracula.”
“I think Dracula, with the music and the costumes and the sets and everything, and the theme of the ballet that’s familiar to a lot of people, it’s a really accessible ballet for the college students to come and check out,” Tetricksaid. “It’s a really good way of introducing them to our whole world.”
As an added bonus for USC student audiences, Columbia City Balletis offering discounted $10 tickets for Thursday night’s performance to students who present a valid student ID. These discounted student tickets can conveniently be purchased with Carolina Cash.
“Dracula”provides a Halloween option that is cutting-edge yet classic, and is an unusual and satisfying Halloween event or spooky date idea. It will be performed at the Koger Centerat 1051 Greene St.,Oct. 29 to 31.Thursday’s performance will take place at 7 p.m.,while Friday’s begins at 7:30 p.m.“Dracula”will finish with a late night performance at 8:30 p.m. on Halloween, Saturday Oct. 31,that will culminate in a costume contest. Tickets for the show are available through the Koger Center’s website and box office.