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arts & literature by Stephen Atkins Dracula Descends on Greater Vancouver k n o w G o d d e n ' s p r e v i o u s w o r k (Dome oux Fruit, The Rite of Spring, and Miroirs) w i l l be familiar w i t h his ability t o g e n erate a t m o s p h e r e as w e l l as beguiling dance. His signature w i t is also a p p a r ent. T h e s e c o n d act consists of a pantomime which parodies the m a n n e r in w h i c h w e take this s t o r y s o seriously, and features an e n t r a n c i n g , sensual dance b e t w e e n a w o l f and a lady-in-red. O t h e r features s u c h as a transfusion pas de d e u x p r o m i s e t o an imaginative and w i t t y c o n t e m p o r a r y reading of this classic tale. A n d r e L e w i s , artistic d i r e c t o r of the Royal W i n n i p e g Ballet, says it was the g o t h i c mystique of ial. W e find Dracula's i m m o r t a l i t y attractive, and the different relationships he has w i t h the v a r i o u s c h a r a c t e r s makes f o r a s t r o n g ballet. H e k n o w s that o t h e r c o m p a n i e s have enjoyed success w i t h staging adaptations, b u t "...it was i m p o r t a n t t o make an o r i g i n a l p i e c e , o n e that w o u l d m a t c h o u r c o m p a n y and the way w e d a n c e -- t o make s o m e t h i n g that is o u r s . " B o t h Draculas c o m e at a t i m e in its heart, decapitating and/or b u r n i n g i t . T h e r e a s o n : t o p r e v e n t the s p i r i t of that p e r s o n f r o m re-inhabiting the b o d y and visiting m i s c h i e f u p o n family members o r fellow townsfolk. W h a t kind of mischief? A n y t h i n g f r o m bad weather, blighted c r o p s , and sick lives t o c k t o disease, bad water, o r making a w i d o w pregnant m o n t h s after h e r husband's death. In s h o r t , the A u s t r i a n soldiers were witnesses t o what a n t h r o p o l o g i s t s call a t r a d i t i o n a l Scapegoat ritual. O n c e the tales of this ritual w o r k e d t h e i r way into W e s t e r n E u r o p e a n c o n s c i o u s n e s s and mingled w i t h local f o l k l o r e , they b e c a m e a s o u r c e of i n s p i r a t i o n f o r many p o e t s and s h o r t - s t o r y w r i t e r s . T h e first v a m pire s t o r y ever w r i t t e n in English is David courtesy Royal Tara Royal Ballet's Winnipeg Dracula, featuring Birtwhistle & Zhang We/-Qiong Photo by Cooper, of the Winnipeg Ballet Dracula that d r e w h i m t o the m a t e r way into R o m a n i a and Bulgaria. O n c e there, soldiers discovered a bizarre local t r a d i t i o n . O n a p r e s c r i b e d day, v i l lagers and priests g a t h e r e d in a local graveyard t o e x h u m e a b o d y and ritually " s l a y " it by d r i v i n g a stake t h r o u g h he age-old s t o r y of the b l o o d s u c k i n g c o u n t is back, and it carries a p o t e n t message f o r audiences of t h e 1990s.This s e a s o n , t w o D r a c u l a s will visit o u r s h o r e . H o w e v e r , instead o f a r r i v i n g in a casket of Transylvanian s o i l , these v a m p i r e s w i l l e m e r g e f r o m the creative m i n d s o f s o m e o f o u r m o s t t a l e n t e d p e r f o r m i n g artists. F e b r u a r y 24 t o 2 7 , t h e Royal W i n n i p e g Ballet w i l l be launching its m u c h - p r a i s e d adaptation of Dracuta by c h o r e o g r a p h e r M a r k G o d d e n . T h i s full-length p r o d u c t i o n p r e m i e r e d last O c t o b e r in W i n n i p e g , playing t o soldout houses. In t h e same m o n t h , the N o r t h Shore's v e r y o w n C a p i l a n o C o l l e g e T h e a t r e D e p a r t m e n t will p e r f o r m the original d r a m a t i s a t i o n o f J ^ Dracula by H a m i l t o n D e a n e and John L. B a l d e r s t o n . T h i s p r o d u c t i o n runs F e b r u a r y 4 t o 13 and is d i r e c t e d by D e s P r i c e . T h i s piece w a s first p e r f o r m e d o n B r o a d w a y in 1927 s t a r r i n g a then-obscure Hungarian actor n a m e d Bela L u g o s i . It ran f o r 391 p e r f o r m a n c e s . T h r e e years later, t h e film v e r s i o n of the v e r y same s c r i p t injected Lugosi's oily c h a r m and a r i s tocratic menace into popular culture. A g o t h i c h o r r o r i c o n was b o r n . T h e D e a n e / B a l d e r s t o n s c r i p t is o n e of the m o s t widely p e r f o r m e d v e r s i o n s o f Dracula. U n l i k e t h e n o v e l , the a c t i o n o f t h e play is set in o n e city, L o n d o n , and t h e c h a r a c t e r s of Mina H a r k e r and Lucy W e s t e n r a are c o m b i n e d into o n e female ingenue n a m e d L u c y S e w a r d . A s i d e f r o m this r e v i s i o n , t h e play is q u i t e faithful t o the novel a n d offers many delightful magic effects, t h u n d e r claps, and b l o o d c u r d l i n g screams. It also c o n tains t h e o n e line that Bela Lugosi m a d e f a m o u s ; "I never d r i n k . . . w i n e . " * By c o n t r a s t , t h e R o y a l W i n n i p e g Ballet offers a r e - " v a m p e d " Dracula T h i s three-act ballet is set t o G u s t a v Mahler's S y m p h o n y N o . 2 in C m i n o r (Resurrect/on) a n d is t h e first fulllength w o r k by C a n a d i a n choreographer Godden.Those who o u r year w h e r e t h e evenings are p a r ticularly dark, w e t , and foggy. Imagine t h e fun of s t e p p i n g o u t i n t o the night t o take in o n e o r b o t h of these d a r k l y bright g e m s . W h a t is it a b o u t this classic m o n s t e r that s o easily c a p t u r e s o u r imaginations! D o e s the vampire s i m ply p r o v i d e a g o o d shiver, a little titillation, o r much more? W h a t c o r n e r of o u r modern-day, u r b a n psyche is e x c i t e d by this fantasy o f s e x . d e s i r e , a n d i m m o r t a l i t y ? T h e s t o r y has b e e n c e r t a i n l y b e e n a r o u n d long e n o u g h . T h e first w r i t i n g s of v a m p i r e s w e r e i n t r o d u c e d t o E u r o p e in t h e latt e r p a r t of t h e 18th c e n t u r y w h e n Austrian soldiers campaigned their