Eugene Mesheryakov is a mild-mannered student when he’s in class at the University of Southern Maine. But when he’s on stage, he turns into a monster.
Portland Ballet cast Mesheryakov in the lead role of a new adaptation of “Dracula.” The show is almost ready after weeks of daily rehearsals. There’s more to the choreography than learning the steps. Mesheryakov wants to make sure his movements reflect Dracula’s imposing personality.
“Everything has to be done with command over my surroundings,” Mesheryakov said. “Even when I first exit from the coffin and make my first appearance, I’m already in control of the domain.”
Mesheryakov is a recent transfer student majoring in Health Sciences. USM’s representation in the cast also includes Camille Alipalo as one of Dracula’s brides. While Mesheryakov loves horror movies, Alipalo gravitates toward lighter entertainment. She had to wipe away the smile that usually graces her face to channel such dark material.
“I’m a very happy person, so it’s kind of hard to do,” Alipalo said. “But it’s a fun challenge to understand myself in a different way through this character.”
Alipalo is a junior in the Leadership and Organizational Studies program. She also serves in the Student Government Association as liaison to the Board of Trustees. How does ballet fit into such a busy schedule? Alipalo credits USM for granting her the flexibility to take classes at night and online. And her dorm in the Portland Commons complex is only a short walk from Portland Ballet’s rehearsal studio.
The dancers performed in costume for the first time at the rehearsal on October 17. Mesheryakov made his entrance in a black cloak with red lining, while his adoring brides orbited around him in their gauzy white gowns.
In developing the show for the stage, Portland Ballet’s Artistic Director Nell Shipman hewed close to its literary roots. Bram Stoker wrote “Dracula” in 1897. The titular vampire leaves his home in Transylvania in search of new feeding grounds in London, only to find that his prey isn’t so defenseless.
Shipman translates the plot into dance, set to the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff. The music wasn’t composed with ballet in mind. But pieces like “Isle of the Dead” fit the mood that Shipman wanted to capture, and she built the choreography around it.
“You won’t find any other ballet using those pieces,” Mesheryakov said. “I think it’s a unique experience to come out and see just how we take the music that we find and turn it into a performance.”
The show tries to strike a careful balance by creating a sense of genuine dread while stopping short of gore. The dancing is sensuous but never explicit. There is enough mature material that producers caution it might not be suitable for kids younger than 12.
Just in time for Halloween, “Dracula” will run for two performances on October 25 and 26 at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center. It’s located between USM’s campuses in Portland and Gorham. Alipalo hopes her fellow students will check it out and see what she can do when she cuts loose outside of class.
“In ballet, you can’t talk, so it’s a lot of tapping into that deeper artistry,” Alipalo said. “It’s a very special outlet because, in my day-to-day life at school, I put that side of myself away. And this is the creative outlet where I get to be a different person and express myself through ballet.”