Three years ago, the celebrated Canadian choreographer David Nixon CBE (pictured left) was appointed interim Artistic Director of Cape Town City Ballet, an event which resulted in a warm and lasting relationship between himself and the company. Back in South Africa and currently rehearsing CTCB’s dancers for his new production of Dracula, the celebrity prefaces his comments on the process with a simple affirmation: “I love this company and enjoy a strong rapport with its dancers.” BEVERLEY BROMMERT reports from the rehearsal room:
The balletic version of Bram Stoker’s classic by David Nixon was first created in 1999 for BalletMet, and has subsequently become his favourite among the many full-length new works of his prolific output. The present production is bespoke to CTCB, giving it a distinctive presentation although the content of the work remains unchanged. Nixon says he is more than happy with the venue (Artscape Theatre). “Its double stage affords the dancers enough room to advance and retreat, while the theatre itself is conducive to the intensity of Dracula,” is how he sums up the balance between spaciousness and intimacy achievable within its boundaries.
Anyone anticipating a merely comic or gratuitously ghoulish take on the original will be surprised at the multilayered richness of this ballet’s content.
Apart from its central portrayal of an obsessive relationship, it evokes an age in flux (late Victorian) as science usurps superstition, the first intimations of women’s liberation emerge after decades of male dominance, and existential questions arise concerning the nature of sacrifice, identity, commitment and what it means to be human. In addition, there is the reliably fascinating vis dramatica of conflict between good and evil, romance and horror.
That muscular agenda in no way negates the ballet’s power to entertain an audience, as an exquisite compilation of music, together with physical grace and raw passion clothe the manifold issues underlying Nixon’s interpretation of Dracula. Regarding the music, its eclectic nature, derived from works by four very diverse composers (Schnittke, Pärt, Rachmaninoff and Daugherty), exactly suits the various facets of this complex work.
Ferocious sensuality and blood-lust
It takes considerable patience to coax the requisite response to the demands, both choreographic and interpretative, of a ballet like this. Watching Nixon at work in rehearsal is an edifying experience: he gently but firmly steers young dancers away from the dainty elegance attendant on portraying the polite sylphs and fairies of traditional ballet, towards the ferocious sensuality and blood-lust evinced by female vampires … “Use your legs!” is a recurrent piece of advice to elicit more physicality from CTCB’s ballerinas, and like all perfectionists, Nixon persists in his mission until, after nearly 40 minutes, the change of style is perceptible and impressive. All accomplished with inexhaustible good humour and determination on both sides.
He identifies a willingness to shed inhibitions in the service of authenticity as a prerequisite for a work such as this, and he finds the dancers with whom he is working are responsive. “To touch their audience, they must be convincing in how they relate to their fellow performers, they have to convey an intimate connection with them,” he explains.
This impressive exponent of ballet production has come a long way since, as an eight-year-old boy watching Dark Shadows on TV after school, he first experienced the lure of the Gothic. A lure he has exploited with skill to entice audiences to a darkly beautiful, thought-provoking work like Dracula.
What: CTCB presents Dracula
Where and when: Artscape from 13 to 29 March 2026
Tickets: Webtickets and the Artscape box office on 021 421 7695
WS
