Zalman Raffael's Dracula Is a
Richly Thrilling New Ballet

Raleigh was proud to host the Carolina Ballet's Oct. 15-Nov. 1 world-premiere production of Zalman Raffael's Dracula, a richly thrilling new ballet, perfectly themed for the month of Halloween. Following Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel closely and borrowing from Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film, the ballet begins in days past when an elegant Elisabeta (danced with effortless charm by a regal Uma Deming, stepping in for Dierdre Scanlon for the Thursday, Oct. 15th, evening performance) and a young, proud Dracula are wed, only to be separated by his call to war. Misinformed about her husband's death on the field, Elisabeta throws herself from a tower in despair, perishing just before Dracula can return home victorious. Crushed by Elisabeta's tragic fate, Dracula rejects the Church and makes a deal with darkness to haunt the world until he can be reunited with Elisabeta once more.

Kiefer Curtis' Dracula is a tormented and dominating figure, haunting the stage with an ominous presence and deliberate, sweeping articulations. His cold demeanor only warms up around his wife and her later incarnation Mina Murray, providing a satisfying contrast to his otherwise general menace. Dracula crosses paths with Jonathan Harker (played with earnest appeal by the striking Braden Hart), who is lured into Dracula's haunted castle and barely escapes the Count's machinations and the three bridesmaids of Elisabeta (played by the wickedly talented Sofia Rose Peetoom, Anna Ingold, and Saskia de Muinck Keizer), who are cursed alongside Dracula and entangled into his twisted fate.

Harker rushes back to Mina, his betrothed (played with luminous innocence by the angelic Amanda Gerhardt), and tells her of his harrowing adventure. Mina has been staying in London with her bestfriend Lucy Westenra (danced with delicious lasciviousness by Madeline Rogers), who has also caught Dracula's attention. Corrupted by Dracula's touch, Lucy goes mad and meets a terrible fate, all while Dracula slowly draws Mina into his seductive obsession. Alarmed, Harker recruits his friends and the expertise of Van Helsing to ultimately confront and vanquish the titular antagonist.

Choreographer Zalman Raffael made some delightful casting choices, as Van Helsing is danced with credible authority and powerful presence by an indomitable Mia Domini. Likewise, Renfield is performed with impeccable idiosyncrasy by Alyssa Pilger, who practically steals every scene she's in. Her erratic movements expressing Renfield's madness are danced with the clean lines and flawless control of a finely refined technique and brought a lovely whimsy to this otherwise heavy tale.

Aaron Severini's score is appropriately ominous and unsettling, elucidating ambience and mood more than thematic movement. The love theme, when it finally arrives in Act III, is sweeping and evocative, giving the pas de deux between Dracula and Mina the technical impact and emotional climax that the audience had been waiting for, setting up a moving finale.

Costume designer Terry Baker did a splendid job, blending form with movement into a period-appropriate tapestry. Projectionist Austin Powers created a masterful set that was almost its own character, moving like a living thing and undulating with coy irregularity against the full-stage scrim. Jamie Gresens' lighting design saturated the stage with visceral emotional potency.

Dracula is an excellent complement to the Carolina Ballet's 2026-27 season and a strong addition to the ballet world, Carolina Ballet should be proud of its new creation. It will be exciting to watch this production and this company continue to grow and evolve and captivate audiences with this Gothic classic.

Zalman Raffael's DRACULA (world premiere) (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23-25 and Oct. 30-Nov. 1), based on Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel and Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film (Carolina Ballet in the A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater in the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh). TRAILERS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08TqbyvxcNA and https://www.facebook.com/reel/1491198026398800. DIGITAL PROGRAM: Oct. 15, 2026 Program. PRESENTER: https://www.carolinaballet.com/, https://www.facebook.com/CarolinaBallet/, https://www.instagram.com/carolinaballet/, https://www.tiktok.com/@carolina_ballet, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_Ballet, https://x.com/CarolinaBallet, and https://www.youtube.com/@CBcarolinaballet. 2026-27 SEASON: https://carolinaballet.com/26-27-season/. DANCERS: https://carolinaballet.com/about-us/dancers/. VENUE: https://www.martinmariettacenter.com/our-venues, https://www.linkedin.com/company/martin-marietta-center-for-the-performing-arts/, https://www.facebook.com/mmcraleigh, https://www.instagram.com/mmcraleighnc, https://x.com/mmcraleigh, and https://www.youtube.com/@MMCRaleighNC. DIRECTIONS & PARKING: https://www.martinmariettacenter.com/plan-your-visit/directions-parking. ACCESSIBILITY: https://www.martinmariettacenter.com/plan-your-visit/accessibility. DRACULA (2026 world preiere): https://carolinaballet.com/program/dracula/. CASTING: https://carolinaballet.com/casting/. ZALMAN RAFFAEL (New York native and Carolina Ballet artistic director and CEO and choreographer): https://carolinaballet.com/team_member/zalman-raffael/ and https://theorg.com/org/carolina-ballet/org-chart/zalman-raffael. TICKETS: $82.77-$117.77, plus taxes and fees, with a discount 20% discount for groups of 10 or more. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-719-0900 or boxoffice@carolinaballet.com. PLEASE DONATE TO: Carolina Ballet.

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