Cast Set For Cape Town City Ballet' DRACULA

Cape Town City Ballet will present a new production of Dracula at Artscape from 13 March 2026, led by an outstanding South African and international cast. Choreographed and directed by David Nixon CBE, this ballet noir promises a darkly glamorous night at the theatre, one that will leave audiences breathless.

Sharing the coveted title role are CTCB Principal Leusson Muniz, Zachary Healey and guest artists Jerome Barnes and Lihle Mfene, each bringing their own magnetic presence to the infamous Count. The lead role of Mina will be danced by CTCB Principal ballerina Kirstél Paterson, alongside Hannah Ward, Isabella Blair and Sasha Barnes. Other dancers in major roles include Hannah Ward, Isabella Blair and Genevieve Magua as Lucy; Zachary Healey, Axton Green and Likhaya Loyiti as Seward; Fanelo Ndweni, Gil Zuntini and Zachary Healy as Harker; Luke Wragg, Elvis Nonjeke and Fanelo Ndweni as Renfield; Jerome Barnes, Caesar Elsner and Gil Zuntini as Arthur; and Axton Green, Lihle Mfene and Caesar Elsner as Van Helsing.

This full-length adaptation of Bram Stoker's iconic tale is set to a hauntingly powerful score featuring music by Schnittke, Pärt, Rachmaninoff and Daugherty. Originally created by Nixon for BalletMet USA in 1999 and revived to critical acclaim for Oklahoma Ballet last year, Dracula has become one of his most celebrated narrative ballets, praised for its cinematic sweep, Gothic intensity and daring, athletic choreography. The production unfolds against a richly atmospheric Victorian England backdrop, where romance and menace intertwine.

Audiences can expect a visual feast — sweeping capes, candlelit drama and choreography that is at once sensual, powerful and thrillingly physical. Nixon's work was described by the British Theatre Guide as “exquisite… powerfully capturing the burgeoning romantic fascination between the two characters,” and this production promises the same intoxicating blend of beauty and danger.