Posted September 27, 2018
DAYTON, OH (September 27, 2018) – On Thursday, October 25 at 7:30 pm; Friday, October 26 at 8 pm; Saturday, October 27 at 8 pm; and Sunday, October 28 at 3 pm in the Victoria Theatre, the Dayton Ballet is thrilled to present Dracula: Bloodlines, the first story ballet of the 2018–2019 Vistas Season. Performance Sponsor for this production is Premier Health, and Supporting Sponsor is Enterprise Roofing. DPAA’s Innovation Partner for this 2018-2019 Excite Season is the DP&L Foundation: Powering Innovation in the Performing Arts.
This season Dayton Ballet is thrilled to bring back Dayton Performing Arts Alliance’s wildly popular Signature Event entitled Dracula: Bloodlines. All three DPAA art forms—Dayton Ballet, Dayton Opera, and Dayton Philharmonic—will present an unforgettable evening of performing arts filled with drama and beauty befitting the looming autumn season.
Dayton Ballet Artistic Director Karen Russo Burke has created a magnificent story that her masterful choreography will bring to life on stage with the full force of the Dayton Ballet professional company of athletic and artistic dancers. The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra will take residence in the pit to perform the exciting score, written by composer Austin K. Jaquith, professor at Ohio’s own Cedarville University, specifically for this work. And for an added level of artistic collaboration, guest artists with Dayton Opera will appear on stage to sing several haunting arias, providing a vivid vocal backdrop to the story of how Dracula came to be.
Since its 1897 literary debut, the story of Bram Stoker’s Dracula has been told in various forms—in prose, play, movie, opera and, to our delight, ballet. But rarely has anyone explored the backstory of this dark villain. Dayton Ballet’s Dracula: Bloodlines delves into the tale before the world’s most famous vampire emerged.
The horrifying myth of a historical figure named Vlad Tepes, known by many as Vlad the Impaler, a prince in the 15th century in an area near Transylvania, is the perfect place to begin. Act One of Dracula: Bloodlines will focus on this character and the events that led to his transformation into the most well-known vampire in literary history. Act Two will see the emergence of Bram Stoker’s familiar characters of the classic tale of Dracula, including Lucy Westenra, Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray, Dr. Van Helsing, and Dracula himself. The intrigue, shadowing, and mystery of this classic tale is the perfect setting for a story ballet in the haunting month of October to bring it all to choreographed life on stage.
Guest vocalists from Dayton Opera will share the stage with Dayton Ballet to spotlight the production with gorgeous vocal resonance. Dayton Opera welcomes to the stage soprano Olivia Yokers, mezzo-soprano Courtney Elvira, and bass-baritone Tyler Alessi for this incredible tour de force of performing arts.
For the sixth year in a row, Dayton Performing Arts Alliance is pleased to partner with the University of Dayton and its unique and innovative Arts Immersion initiative. All first-year students at the University of Dayton enrolled in a Humanities Commons course will attend a performance of Dracula: Bloodlines as their Arts Immersion Experience for the 2018–2019 academic year. To further enhance learning and engage students, University faculty teaching Humanities Commons courses will incorporate aspects of the performance through the lens of their disciplines and into their courses.
Dayton Ballet shines this October with a story ballet as captivating as the title itself, with an epic collaboration among the three art forms of Dayton Performing Arts Alliance. Do you believe in vampires? Dracula: Bloodlines may show you just how possible it is that these mysterious creatures of the night actually do exist.
Before each performance, Ms. Burke will hold a pre-performance talk called “The First Step,” giving audience members a more in-depth look at the upcoming performance and a behind-the-scenes peek at Dayton Ballet. “The First Step” will be held 45 minutes prior to curtain time for each performance in the Burnell Roberts Room at 126 North Main Street, beside the Victoria Theatre. “Behind the Ballet,” a Q&A with dancers that gives audiences the opportunity to learn more about the life of a dancer with Dayton Ballet, will follow each performance in the theatre. “The First Step” and “Behind the Ballet” sessions are free of charge for all ticketholders.
Tickets for Dracula: Bloodlines are $15 to $81 and are available at Ticket Center Stage (937) 228-3630 or online at www.daytonperformingarts.org. Senior, teacher and student discounts available at box office. For more information or to order subscriptions, including flexible subscription types that include performances by Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Opera and Dayton Ballet, visit www.daytonperformingarts.org.