Published September 22, 2023

SNB Presents a Tale of Horror in the Spirit of Halloween and Burning Man

by Rosine Bena

Inspired by the fans of Burning Man, Sierra Nevada Ballet will premiere a fantastic, exciting, innovative, erotic and (rated PG) VERY scary new work by SNB Associate Artistic Director, Ananda Bena-Weber. 

Wear your favorite Burning Man or Halloween costume and come see SNB’s Dracula - The Ballet on October 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Carson City Community Center and on October 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts in Reno.   

It has been an amazing experience watching our wonderful SNB group of professional dancers work on this brand new, brilliant, original work that is actually based on the original version of the horror story by Bram Stoker. Seeing our lovely, warm, good natured, talented dancers transform into extremely frightening bloodthirsty vampires has left me in complete awe. Each dancer is totally artistically invested in bringing this tale of seduction and horror to life, and they are so convincing that I have found myself at times getting chills watching them. It is definitely a work that will appeal to Dracula horror fans everywhere. 

The title role will be danced by the dramatic Malachi Squires who will replace Domingo Rubio originally cast. (Rubio had some recent unexpected family issues and had to take a short personal leave). 

Malachi Squires trained at Houston Ballet Academy and Marin Dance Theater and has danced professionally for many years with a number of performing companies. Most recently he appeared in Day of the Gypsy by Gordon Peirce Schmidt presented at the Harris Theater; Brigadoon with the Goodman Theater in Chicago; RPM Productions’ La Journee des Tziganes and An American Portrait. He also performed Carmen and La Clemenza di Tito at the Chicago Lyric Opera.

Malachi’s many credits include performing leading male roles with Les Grandiva Ballets on tour in New York, Seoul, and over 70 cities in Japan with an appearance on national television in Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, and The Sleeping Beauty. He has appeared in numerous works with Fort Worth Dallas Ballet and danced with Paul Sanasardo; EZ Credit Dance Theater, and the Lawrence Pech Dance Company. His guest engagements have included the Madison Ballet, Ballet Quad Cities, Chicago Civic Ballet, Hilton Head Dance Theater, Rochester Dance Company, and Marin Dance Theater.

In addition to performing, Malachi is a talented choreographer with credits that include The Restless Hours (which he also produced) and choreography for Mesopotamian Night Chicago; Dance in the Parks Chicago, and many other dance organizations including the Houston Artist of the Year Awards. He has taught ballet and related dance in a number of schools in the Chicago area and in the Houston Arts in Education Program.

Domingo Rubio was very happy when he heard that Squires would dance with SNB as his replacement. He had seen Malachi perform the title role in another out of state production and thought he was very good. He told us, “Malachi is a very strong, exciting, dramatic performer and will be a great Dracula!”

Choreographer Ananda Bena-Weber has chosen composer Astor Piazzolla’s music and incorporated Tango style dancing in the Dracula ballet. This pleased Malachi very much and he told us, “This is a good fit, as I am a big fan of Tango and recently created a Tango style ballet to the music of Astor Piazzolla.”

Dracula - The Ballet is a sensuous, erotic tale of a vampire who seduces his victims into voluntarily allowing him to drink their blood. SNB’s supporting cast includes Sara Weir as the lovely innocent Mina; Anthony McMenamy as her trusting fiancé Jonathan Harker; Katrin Wilde as the flirtatious Lucy; Madeline Lee as the loyal Dr. Seward, and Alexander Biber as Renfield (the madman). Bena-Weber appears in the role of Dr. Van Helsing who has spent years studying vampires and is determined to defeat the powerfully evil Dracula.

We encourage you to get in the Halloween spirit, bring your friends, put on your favorite costume and join us for this sensuously riveting tale of horror... IF YOU DARE!

For ticket information or information about Sierra Nevada Ballet visit www.sierranevadaballet.org or call SNB at 775-360-8663.

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