Feature: Ben Stevenson's Dracula, presented by the Nevada Ballet Theatre, to Bring Gothic Grandness

Ben Stevenson's Dracula, presented by the Nevada Ballet Theatre, will fill the stage with all the eerie, Gothic grandness to begin the Halloween season. Haunting performances will be presented at The Smith Center Oct. 6-9.

Audiences will be transfixed from the first bite by this haunting world of temptation and its otherworldly battle between good and evil. The Gothic grandness at the heart of Dracula stresses high-flying action. In this production, four dancers fly through the air in an otherworldly display of power and grace. Audiences roared with delight in 2018 when Dracula put Las Vegas under his spell, and Dracula has returned in 2022.

Audiences will be transported into a dark, foggy set; creepy classical music; over-the-top costumes; and Ben Stevenson's choreography set to the music of Franz Liszt. The passionate love triangle at the center of this iconic tale is set to sweeping movement, ingenious stage effects, and dark, rich coloring to envelope all in its haunting world of evil temptation.

Bram Stoker wrote Dracula as a novel that was published in 1897. Dracula was then adapted as a stage play, written by the Irish actor and playwright Hamilton Deane, in 1924. After touring in England, the play was revised and debuted on Broadway production, opening at the Fulton Theatre in October 1927. This production starred Bela Lugosi in his first major English-speaking role. The play would be performed over the decades, including a Broadway revival in 1977 starring Frank Langella and winning the Tony Award for Best Revival. Dracula, developed as a full-length ballet, premiered at the Wortham Center in Houston on March 13, 1997, to mark the 100th anniversary of the iconic 1897 novel.

Ben was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year's Honors List in December 1999. A native of Portsmouth, England, Ben received his dance training at the Arts Educational School in London and performed with the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet and English National Ballet. He staged his first and successful The Sleeping Beauty, performed by the English National Ballet. Ben has received numerous awards for his choreography.

In Ben's ballet version of Dracula, he distills the essence of the novel, retaining key characters and dramatic situations. Some of the elements of the novel were amended to tell the story in the language of ballet as well as more theatrically compelling. The ballet takes place entirely in Transylvania, with the first and third acts transpiring in Dracula's castle and the second act in the village.

Nevada Ballet Theatre continues to enrich lives through professional ballet productions, an affiliated academy offering the highest level of dance training, and outstanding Community Education programs for underserved youth. The largest professional ballet company and dance Academy in the state, Nevada Ballet Theatre is a nonprofit organization focusing on the cultural landscape since its first performance 50 years ago. Its mission is to educate and inspire all audiences and impact community life through professional company productions, dance training, and community education programs. ​

Ben Stevenson's Dracula, presented by the Nevada Ballet Theatre, will be performed at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 361 Symphony Park Ave, Oct. 6-9. For more info, visit nevadaballet.org.

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