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Dracula Haunts the Canton Ballet Stage

Mark Arehart
/
WKSU
Dancers warm up to rehearse for the vampire themed musical

With Halloween approaching, the Canton Ballet is bringing back “Dracula, the Ballet” this season.

Dancers stretch on stage to make sure their blood is warm enough to tell the chilly story of Count Dracula.

With Halloween right around the corner, there’s no better time to feature one of classic literature’s best-known baddies. But how do you translate a gothic vampire tale into a modern ballet?

“Well it’s the same story of course. It’s just done through movement rather than words. So you just anticipate what the characters are saying," says Canton Ballet Artistic Director Cassandra Crowley.

It’s a show for all ages, Crowley said, so the ballet has everything you’d expect from Dracula, but with none of the gory bite.

In fact, most of the ballet company dancers on stage will be between the ages of 12 and 18. It runs tomorrow and Saturday at the Palace Theatre in Canton.

Mark Arehart joined the award-winning WKSU news team as its arts/culture reporter in 2017. Before coming to Northeast Ohio, Arehart hosted Morning Edition and covered the arts scene for Delaware Public Media. He previously worked for KNKX in Seattle, Kansas Public Radio, and KYUK in Bethel, Alaska.