Ballet West's Dracula

Last night I went to see Dracula, the first production of Ballet West's 2021-2022 season and the first large-scale ballet performed since the pandemic.  I was really looking forward to this ballet and I loved it!  In Act I Dracula (Chase O'Connell) emerges, dramatically, from a tomb in the crypt of his castle and summons all of his brides who dance at his command.  I loved the choreography because Dracula controls them with just a glance or a gesture and he works them up into a frenzy where they leap (and sometimes fly) across the stage.  Dracula's chief henchman, Renfield (Joshua Whitehead), brings a young woman named Flora (Emily Adams) to the castle in a horse-drawn carriage (I loved that the horses are portrayed by dancers).  With the help of his brides, Dracula detains her and then beguiles her in a gorgeous Pas de Deux before transforming her.  In Act II an Innkeeper (Jordan Veit) and his wife (Katlyn Addison, my favorite dancer with Ballet West) are celebrating the birthday of their daughter Svetlana (Beckanne Sisk) with a group of villagers who perform various folkloric dances (I especially loved the use of ribbons in these dances).  Svetlana is in love with a villager named Frederick (Hadriel Diniz) who asks her father for permission to marry her and, when it is granted, they dance another beautiful Pas de Deux.  They also dance a series of solos and I especially liked it when Svetlana twirls on her heels (I'm sure there is a proper term for this).  Dracula, who has heard of Svetlana's beauty, sends Flora, now under his control, into the village and they capture her.  In Act III Flora and the brides prepare Dracula's bedchamber in the castle (Flora flies dramatically across the stage and this made me gasp out loud) for Svetlana's arrival.  Dracula beguiles Svetlana in another amazing Pas de Deux where she appears to glide across the stage.  Frederick and several others from the village arrive at the castle to rescue Svetlana and a battle ensues (with some great special effects).  In addition to the choreography and performances, I loved the music by Franz Liszt (some of the themes reminded me of Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz), the costumes (especially the cape worn by Dracula which, when unfurled, looks like a bat's wings and the ethereal white dresses worn by the brides), and the sets (particularly the dark and atmospheric crypt in the castle).  I enjoyed this beautiful production so much that I now count Dracula among my favorite ballets and I highly recommend attending one of the remaining performances (go here for tickets and information).