DRACULA, A DARK SHADOW to Have World Premiere at State Street Ballet
Performances will take place October 30 and 31, 2026.
State Street Ballet will present the world premiere of Dracula, a dark shadow, bringing a cinematic tale to the stage in a newly commissioned ballet. Nicolas Blanc's choreography meets Philip Glass's iconic score, performed live onstage by the world-renowned Kronos Quartet. This two-act full-length ballet will have two performances at Santa Barbara's The Granada Theatre on October 30 and 31, 2026, arriving just in time for Halloween. Principal dancers include Tigran Sargsyan as the title character and Maria Rita Rapisarda in the role of Mina.
This isn't Kronos Quartet's first encounter with the most famous vampire in history. In 1998, Philip Glass composed his acclaimed score for Tod Browning's classic 1931 horror film Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi, featuring performances by the Kronos Quartet. Now, Dracula rises again in State Street Ballet's new version of the classic Gothic tale, with Blanc's contemporary choreography pairing aestheticism and liquid motions with a theatrical approach, moving between the narrative and abstract, complementing Glass's minimalist score.
Blanc takes deliberate liberties with Bram Stoker's iconic novel, joining a long tradition of artists who have reimagined Dracula for their own time and medium. Drawing inspiration from both the original story and many different films that have shaped Dracula's enduring cultural legacy, Blanc streamlines the narrative for clarity and dramatic impact, reducing and reimagining certain characters while introducing new theatrical elements and figures, including undead creatures and haunting wolves. He expands the story's visual world with imagined settings and scenes, including a ballroom sequence, while using abstract staging and symbolic devices.
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