See vampires and umpires storm the stage this October with two back-to-back productions by BalletMet Columbus.

While the Buckeyes pack the Horseshoe with scarlet and gray, score a touchdown with the BalletMet Columbus team and its action-packed play on favorite pastimes, Sports Spectacular, Oct. 11-14, with a home field advantage at the Capitol Theatre. The show kicks off this season’s Family Series.

The all-star lineup includes three lively repertory favorites and two world premieres. Three choreographers were also featured this August in BalletMet’s incredibly successful 30th anniversary event, 30x30, which sold out every performance. The performance will include:

• Harrison McEldowney’s Dance Sport, a witty satire on competitive sports and professional dance complete with hilarious play-by-play commentary,
• The Ohio State University Professor Susan Hadley’s Across the Field (Second Down) a reinvented tribute to OSU and American traditions, set to OSU Marching Band favorites including the OSU fight song, and
• A world premiere work by BalletMet Company dancer Adam Hundt set to a mix of music by Radiohead.

Also on the bill are:
• Badinage, a playful and athletic piece by former BalletMet Artistic Director John McFall, and
• Big League Dream, a world premiere work by choreographer Maria Glimcher.

Then, catch the Count, who is back for a limited engagement in Dracula, Oct. 17 – 21 at the Capitol Theatre. BalletMet Columbus’ 30th anniversary season would be incomplete without this perennial favorite by former Artistic Director David Nixon. Inspired by the Bram Stoker novel, this spine-tingling ballet will seduce audiences with exhilarating mystery and drama.

The evocative imagery of Stoker’s 1897 gothic horror tale is brought to life through Nixon’s choreography and the haunting music of Michael Daugherty, Arvo Pärt, Sergei Rachmaninov, and Alfred Schnittke. Dracula tells the dark legend of the famous vampire and his passionate love that transcends the perceptions of life and death, man and beast. Nixon’s striking retelling, set in the Victorian era, focuses on the relationship between The Count and Mina, the wife of the young Jonathan Harker, and the attraction of immortality. Eerie atmospheric lighting designed by Alexander Nichols, extraordinary costumes by Linda Pisano and scenery by Dan Gray enhance the production’s stunning visual imagery.

Dracula premiered in 1999 while Nixon was Artistic Director of BalletMet and has thrilled audiences with each performance. BalletMet Artistic Director Gerard Charles says the appeal of the popular ballet lies in the story’s familiarity and Nixon’s innovative retelling.

“It is a very dramatic and well conceived work with well known narrative,” Charles says. “David perfectly captures the essence of the story and weaves his own imagination into the work to support its mystery and attraction. The ballet is such a significant piece of BalletMet’s repertoire and history, it is a must to showcase in our 30th anniversary season.”

Due to some adult content, Dracula is recommended for mature audiences.

Tickets to both shows are available through the BalletMet Box Office (614.229.4848), http://www.balletmet.org CAPA (614.469.0939) or TicketMaster (614.431.3600).(614.469.0939) or TicketMaster (614.431.3600).