Columbia City Ballet presented Dracula: Ballet with a Bite on Tuesday, October 29 at the Sottile Theatre. The production was developed and choreographed by William Starrett the artistic director of the Columbia City Ballet and the music was partially composed by Thomas Semanski. This show starred stage and screen actor Grant Show as Count Dracula. Although Show did not dance with the company his stage movements paralleled the choreography and reflected the story line.

From an audience perspective there were elements to this ballet that were very enjoyable. They set was well designed for dance with much of the stage clear and the majority of the set built upstage and lofted. The music selection was unique as it combined classical music with contemporary songs and pop music. However, for a show advertised as a ballet I did not particularly enjoy the musical blending. Much of the choreography was very jazz styled which the female company members performed in pointe shoes, which is an element I was not in agreement with. Overall I felt much of the choreography was not very clean or as together as it should have been for a professional dance company. There was a beautiful pas de deux and a flawless solo that principal dancer Regina Willoughby executed which highlighted her technique. I did also thoroughly enjoy the costuming choices for each act of the ballet. There were three acts with two intermissions, each about 12 minutes in length which was definitely excessive for this production.

I was surprised Dracula: Ballet with a Bite was not marketed more. I did see posters up outside the windows of the Sottile Theatre and one in the arts building on the CofC campus. Overall it appeared marketing was relatively limited. The Columbia City Ballet could have benefited from heavier advertising as the only show in Charleston was only about half full. Especially due to it being so close to Halloween and with a vampire-esque theme I felt it could have been a more attended show with a little more advertising.