With Halloween right around the corner you may be planning ideas on how to participate in the festivities. Along with trick-or-treating, why not consider heading to the theater as well?
Companies around the world are presenting works that celebrate the horror, suspense, and tradition of the macabre. Especially for those neophytes who typically associate ballet with sparkles and tutus, this is a chance to see the darker side of the art, both literally and metaphorically. Rich colors, lustrous scenography, and provocative music (Frank Liszt seems to be a popular composer when it comes to conveying the intense, powerful, and story-telling choreography presented in this genre of show) depart from the sweet romanticism of many other dramatic ballets. Below are some ideas to get you started but feel free to search for other options as perhaps you are not the type who likes to be startled at the ballet.
Mayerling
The Royal Ballet
It is at The Royal Opera House in London, England that Kenneth MacMillan‘s Mayerling can be witnessed. The ballet, choreographed in 1978, is based on the 1889 true events surrounding the deaths of Crown Prince Rudolph and his mistress Mary Vetsera. This intense ballet is set to Franz Liszt’s music arranged by John Lanchberry.
Dracula
Carolina Ballet
The Fletcher Opera Theater in Raleigh, NC is host to the area’s creepy ballets this season. Lynne Taylor Corbett‘s Dracula is back along with Robert Weiss‘s The Masque of the Red Death, based on the novels by Bram Stoker and Edgar Allan Poe, respectively. Both works feature original scores by J. Mark Scearce played by a chamber ensemble.
Dracula
Tulsa Ballet
After six years away, Ben Stevenson‘s Dracula returns to Tulsa, OK at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. The ballet is divided into three acts – The Crypt of Dracula’s Castle, The Village, and The Bedroom of Count Dracula – with music composed by Franz Liszt, arranged by John Lanchberry.
Luna Mexicana
Oakland Ballet Company
This program at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, CA celebrates Dia de los Muertos with a new work by Graham Lustig based on the life of artist Frida Kahlo as well as collaborations with Ballet Folklórico México Danza and Nahui Ehekatl & Co. Aztec dance company. This is perhaps the most family-friendly of the events listed in this article.
Sources for The Scariest Ballets of 2018: Carolina Ballet, Oakland Ballet Company, The Royal Ballet, Tulsa Ballet | Featured Photo © Carolina Ballet
