#vampire ballet

[northernballet]

Dracula, a ballet by David Nixon OBE, will be returning to the stage October 2019!

Photo Merlin Hendy.

[vampireadamooc]

Aerial dance is king in Scorpius' 'A Vampire Tale' Kerry Lengel, The Republic | azcentral.com 11:02 a.m. MST September 29, 2014 http://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/arts/2014/09/26/aerial-dance-king-scorpius-vampire-tale/16287177/

There have been all kinds of vampires since Bela Lugosi created the iconic wrinkly albino image of Dracula in the 1930s.

They range from truly creepy, such as Willem Dafoe's Max Schreck in "Shadow of the Vampire," to the new breed of ethereal sex symbols that came to the fore with Anne Rice and jumped the sparkling shark with "Twilight." (Heck, there's even a "Fat Vampire," thanks to Arizona YA author Adam Rex.)

"A Vampire Tale," Scorpius Dance Theatre's annual Halloween concert, falls firmly into the Anne Rice camp, and perhaps even more so this year, the show's 11th.

Billed as "the 'Nutcracker' of Halloween," this MTV-style supernatural circus — set to ominous industrial techno music and the occasional classical piano — follows an innocent girl in a white dress as she falls in with a clan of bloodsuckers made up like every Goth kid's dream. To most of them, "Eve" is just a drinkable plaything, but the vampire King, aka Viktor, takes a protective shine to her, sparking the indignation of the imperious Queen of the Klan.

Yes, Scorpius founder Lisa Starry does seem to have a thing for K's.

For most of the past decade, the role of Viktor has been danced by the choreographer's husband, David Starry, and much of the show's tone has been set by his brooding, menacing premise. (Musclebound with on-and-off mutton-chop sideburns, he sometimes resembled "The X-Men's" Wolverine, but more feral.)

Last year David announced his retirement from "A Vampire Tale" and gave his farewell performances. This year, his role goes to fan favorite Gavin Sisson.

Lithe and wiry with a shaved pate, Sisson is air to Starry's Earth. Quite literally, in fact, as Sisson is the company's aerial-dance specialist. And as the show has incorporated more Cirque du Soleil-style stunts on ribbons and the lyra (hoop), Sisson's performance of the character has grown accordingly until he became a sort of chief enforcer for the Queen.

Sisson says his character has been "a more romantic evil vampire, if you will."

"A little less creepy, a little bit more sexy-dangerous is what I was going for," he says. "I sort of thought of the character as 'the General.' So the General got promoted."

One of the reasons "A Vampire Tale" has developed its loyal following is that it introduces new elements every year, but this casting switch requires a full-on makeover in the choreography.

"I always thought of Gavin because he has kind of the perfect look for it," Lisa Starry says. "But because Gavin was my aerial man, I thought I would be possible for him to do that role as well. So he said, 'Well, you're going to have to change the role.' "

The details are still getting worked out in the rehearsal hall, so it remains to be seen how longtime vamp fans will react.

As for the Queen of the Klan, dancer Nicole Olson is used to rolling with the changes. She is the only original cast member and says the character has evolved subtly to match the changing personalities around her. But the core remains the same: the haughty, sexy mistress of all she surveys.

"She's fun," Olson says. "She's like Cruella de Vil."

Scorpius Dance Theatre: 'A Vampire Tale':Thursday, Oct. 2, through Saturday, Oct. 11. Phoenix Theatre, 100 E. McDowell Road. $25 and up. 602-254-2151, phoenixtheatre.com, scorpiusdance.com.