Northern Ballet, Dracula, BBC iPlayer
Northern Ballet’s Dracula, David Nixon's adaptation of Bram Stoker's vampire tale, is scary and mesmerising in equal parts – perfect Halloween viewing
Northern Ballet, Dracula. Photo: Guy Farrow
Dracula, the vampire protagonist of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, is one of literature’s most enduring creations. There is something about this undead anti-hero that has continued to stir the imagination of artists and audiences the world over for years.
Dracula’s appeal – his sex appeal even! – never seems to fade.
Ballet, too, has succumbed to the call of Dracula; and this Halloween you have the chance to spend a thrilling time in his company, as Northern Ballet’s Dracula is available on demand on BBC iPlayer.
Under David Nixon’s directorship, Northern Ballet specialises in narrative works, with the aim of telling stories through dance to audiences far and wide. This performance of Dracula was recorded live in Northern Ballet’s hometown of Leeds.
Northern Ballet’s Dracula is very much David Nixon’s creature: he not only created and choreographed the work, but also designed its spectacular costumes. The ballet’s gothic sets are by Ali Allen and the all-important lighting design by Tim Mitchell.
Nixon’s idea was to focus on the ambiguity of the character. His Dracula is not a wholly evil vampire, but rather a more nuanced creature, one capable of love. As Nixon puts it, ‘All creatures need to be loved and the love that Dracula shares with Mina transcends the boundaries of good and evil.’.
The plot closely follows Bram Stoker’s original: Count Dracula, danced by Javier Torres, travels from his Transylvanian home to England after becoming entranced by a vision of Mina Murray, the young fiancée of Jonathan Harker. Though Dracula terrorises the town where she lives, Mina realises she is powerless to resist him, and their mutual attraction sets in motion a sequence of bloody events.
Northern Ballet’s Dracula is set to an atmospheric collage of music by Alfred Schnittke, Sergei Rachmaninov, Arvo Pärt, and Michael Daugherty.
The ballet’s complex characters offer plenty of scope for Northern Ballet's superb dramatic dancers and they perform its graphic scenes with relish.
As The Observer critic put it when reviewing Dracula on an earlier outing, ‘those in search of heaving bosoms, unlaced bodices and neck-biting will not leave disappointed.’
Age Guidance: 12+
Dracula’s appeal – his sex appeal even! – never seems to fade.
Ballet, too, has succumbed to the call of Dracula; and this Halloween you have the chance to spend a thrilling time in his company, as Northern Ballet’s Dracula is available on demand on BBC iPlayer.
Under David Nixon’s directorship, Northern Ballet specialises in narrative works, with the aim of telling stories through dance to audiences far and wide. This performance of Dracula was recorded live in Northern Ballet’s hometown of Leeds.
Northern Ballet’s Dracula is very much David Nixon’s creature: he not only created and choreographed the work, but also designed its spectacular costumes. The ballet’s gothic sets are by Ali Allen and the all-important lighting design by Tim Mitchell.
Nixon’s idea was to focus on the ambiguity of the character. His Dracula is not a wholly evil vampire, but rather a more nuanced creature, one capable of love. As Nixon puts it, ‘All creatures need to be loved and the love that Dracula shares with Mina transcends the boundaries of good and evil.’.
The plot closely follows Bram Stoker’s original: Count Dracula, danced by Javier Torres, travels from his Transylvanian home to England after becoming entranced by a vision of Mina Murray, the young fiancée of Jonathan Harker. Though Dracula terrorises the town where she lives, Mina realises she is powerless to resist him, and their mutual attraction sets in motion a sequence of bloody events.
Northern Ballet’s Dracula is set to an atmospheric collage of music by Alfred Schnittke, Sergei Rachmaninov, Arvo Pärt, and Michael Daugherty.
The ballet’s complex characters offer plenty of scope for Northern Ballet's superb dramatic dancers and they perform its graphic scenes with relish.
As The Observer critic put it when reviewing Dracula on an earlier outing, ‘those in search of heaving bosoms, unlaced bodices and neck-biting will not leave disappointed.’
Age Guidance: 12+
TRY CULTURE WHISPER
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| What | Northern Ballet, Dracula, BBC iPlayer |
| Where | BBC Four | MAP |
| When |
31 Oct 20 – 31 May 21, Available on demand BBC iPlayer Dur.: 1 hour 40 mins |
| Price | £N/A |
| Website | https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000jqyr/dracula-by-northern-ballet |