Atlanta Ballet’s Dracula moves to the music of the night
The Atlanta Ballets current show begins with a skin-crawling prologue. Wolfish, costumed dancers surround a sleeping mans bed; a happy wedding repeatedly turns into a mournful funeral; and booming, insistent knocks resound throughout. The rapping sounds suggest Poes raven tapping at the chamber door. The images evoke Goyas nightmarish paintings, and the whole disturbing tableau dispels any preconceived notions you have of ballet as a genteel performing art.
The surreal, sideways introduction to the Dracula ballet provides a fresh interpretation of one of our cultures most familiar stories, like putting new blood in an old bottle. The Atlanta Ballets production proves ideal for audiences who dont like dance — or dont realize that they actually enjoy ballet.