Sarasota Cuban Ballet is presenting four performances of Dracula Oct. 30 through Nov. 1.
It first shared the full-length ballet with Sarasota audiences in October 2023. The production continues to evolve as choreographers Rolando Yanes and Monica Isla add elements to enhance the storytelling, which interprets Bram Stoker’s Gothic tale describing Jonathan and Mina Harker’s fateful encounter with the Prince of Darkness. With seven new dancers and the promotion of two others to its Studio Company for the 2026-2027 season, this year's production of “Dracula” promises to be more exciting than ever.
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This year’s performances will feature a prologue choreographed by Studio Company Apprentice Isabella Serrano together with several different casts for the four shows.
New Studio Company Lead Artist Leo Okuno will perform both Dracula and Jonathan in different shows. Because the characters are so different, Okuno is able to bring different levels of emotionality to his portrayals.
“Being able to see that kind of raw emotion is something to be experienced,” said Okuno. “In your general life you don’t get to experience something like that. Everything is very toned down, business culture — professionalism is at the forefront of everyone’s mind."
Although we are all professionals here, our goal is to deliver the raw emotion that is rare to see every day. Going to a show like this helps you recognize the things that make life more interesting.”
Rolando Yanes and Monica Isla created the ballet specifically for Sarasota Cuban Ballet and Yanes is working with Okuno to breathe life into the story of the undead.
“Mr. Rolando has such a clear idea of what he wants and how I can bring that out,” Okuno explained. “You would think they tell you exactly what to do in the choreography and therefore that’s what you do. But because it’s the original choreographer, they’re not working off the steps, they’re working off the feeling, the end product, which is what the audience feels. For me as a dancer, to be able to have somebody who will work with me and say, you have to feel this thing, or you have to deliver this thing, and this is what this moment is for, is so much more powerful than just steps. As a dancer, it’s definitely a learning experience.”
“Dracula” is part of Sarasota Cuban Ballet’s 2026-2027 Auditorium Series.
Shows are Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.; Saturday (Halloween) at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. [SOLD OUT].
Sarasota Cuban Ballet is at 4740 Cattlemen Road.
For more, hear/read, “Sarasota Cuban Ballet opens 2026-27 Auditorium Series with ‘Classical + Contemporary.’”
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
