Dance

The Columbia City Ballet

presents

Dracula

Describe: 

The Columbia City Ballet performed their seasonal show titled Dracula. The show was held at the Koger Center on October 27, 2010 at 7:30pm. There was pre-show activity in the lobby of the Koger center. They had many people dressed in their Halloween attire and exhibited Halloween related animals. (Owl to the right) The show is comprised of 3 acts telling a story with approximately 30 dancers. The story uses dancing, acting, and music to portray the trials and tribulations of Count Dracula and his dark mistresses. 

Analyze: 

Dracula combined many aspects of art. I think the most intriguing aspect of the dance for me was that such a beautiful, graceful art such as ballet was used to tell a harsh, dark story. Although one may think this would be a great contrast, the show was put together so ingeniously that these two ends of the spectrum unified to tell a story- and to tell it well. There was a constant unison of the dancers as if they were a whole show, not individual dancers. The color of the outfits, the lighting and the mood to the music coincided with each other. At any point in time, there was both balance and unity among the dancers. 

Interpret:

Columbia City Ballet presented Dracula for many reasons. I think the main motive behind the production of this dance was to show the audience that dance form of ballet can break out of the norm and present a loud, obnoxious show. Also, the dance may be a metaphor for the balance of dark and dainty in any human. In other words, good (ballet) and bad (Dracula) exists in all humans. By the end of the third act, I was literally sitting at the end of my seat waiting to find out the ending. I remember thinking, "This is like a movie!" It was better than a movie! The production enthuses the audience with the action-provoking music, incredible dance abilities, and attention capturing story line. Dracula found a way to keep ballet thriving by making it modern and likable by the ever-so-changing generation of people. 

Evaluate:

I love, love LOVE the dance! It is the best dance I have ever seen. I appreciated everything the dancers had to offer. The story of Count Dracula was so emotion provoking I lost myself in the story on many occasions. Better than the story was the dancers. Their art form is immaculate, intricate but yet demanding. They danced for two hours straight- all rehearsed! Honestly, I did not expect the dance to be of such high caliber. But I was all smiles afterward! I plan to attend many ballet's in the future.