Sunday, October 29, 2017

Day 242-Pittsburgh Ballet Opens its Season with Dracula-Beautifully Eerie



What better way to spend Halloween weekend than with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theather (PBT) Season Opener, "Dracula".  One of my favorite things is going to a ballet because of the beauty  but his time the show is based on something mysterious- Bram Stoker’s 1887 novel.  The last time that PBT preformed this show was in 2011, so I did not want to miss the experience of something beautifully eerie!



Reflection
We all know the story of Dracula but when paired  with extravagant costumes, a 19-century Transylvanian setting, special lighting effects, the symphony orchestra and the skill of a top notch ballet company, we get an unique visual fantasy of the story. 


The ballet opens with Dracula and his  brides awakening from the their coffins in the castle.  The brides wearing  flowing white “web like” dresses appear to float as they dance and some actually glide in the air! As they dance they appeared ghost- like under the spell of  Dracula who makes  a grand appearance spreading an ornate cape. He is powerfully mesmerizing as the brides all desire his attention.    

The second Act in contrast takes place in a bright colorful village. There is lighthearted music with the hustle and bustle of the villagers dancing  during a  birthday celebration. The festivities are halted  when one of the villagers (Flora) arrives pale and zombie like from  an encounter with Dracula.


Act II  had some of the best dancing as the two lovers, Svetlana and Frederick, dance together and also dance solo.  Svetlana  is on point spinning like a top  and Frederick shows off his strength during his turns  and height in his jumps.

Lighting strikes as  Dracula enters the village, and he abducts  Svetlana whisking her off in his carriage back to his castle. At the castle in Act III, the ghost- like brides are back preforming  a dark, creepy but beautiful dance. Then as the light rays of dawn commence,  Dracula explodes with the use of pyrotechnics.

 This  beautifully eerie ballet, that tells the well known story with movement, will even impress those who have limited ballet experience  or thought they would not enjoy a ballet.  I can’t wait to see what else PBT has to offer this season.  

 (Dracula which  runs Oct 27 to Oct 29th at Benadum Center kicks off the PBT 2017-18 season.)  

Other Sources

Pittsburgh Ballet Theather https://www.pbt.org/
https://pbt.culturaldistrict.org/