Do you know the story of Dracula? While most people today certainly know the name, having seen countless Halloween specials and costumes with capes and widow’s peaks over the years, some people don’t know much about Bram Stoker’s actual novel and the story it contains. While a bit unwieldy at times — the story is written through the diary pages and journals of the characters — it remains a wonderful and interesting story of horror, love, and adventure that will always hold a prominent place in the hearts of horror fans everywhere. Without Dracula, the popularity of vampires in pop culture today would simply not exist. That’s right; without Dracula, there would likely be no Edward or Bella from Twilight.

Through the years, the character of Dracula has been in nearly everything. Movies and television shows, literature, plays, comic books and cartoons, and more. He’s even gone toe to toe with Batman, which certainly says something about the character’s enduring popularity. However, there’s one other area the master vampire has conquered that many people don’t know about — ballet. You can see shows that take the story of Dracula from the novel and adapt it to the stage as a ballet.

At first blush, it might not seem as though the story would work as a ballet, but it really does work quite well with the right ballet company. The story, which starts out in Transylvania, heads to London, and then returns to Dracula’s castle and it all works remarkably well in ballet form, and is certainly worth seeing.

Different ballet companies around the country will often put on the ballet, usually in the fall of the year, as we get closer to Halloween. During the fall, people are far more predisposed to wanting to see as much fictional horror as possible. The California Ballet in San Diego, the Grand Rapids Ballet, and others put on a wonderful show. If you love the ballet and you are a fan of Dracula, you will not want to miss this opportunity. It’s a wonderful way to see the story unfold. Make sure you buy tickets for the show soon!