Hannah Kidd tells KATHERINE MACALISTER why dance is taking a dark turn in Dracula

It’s topical, it’s scary and it’s coming to Oxford. Yes Dracula is back just in time for Halloween and promises to be dark, thrilling and erotic.

Heading the cast is Hannah Kidd, pictured, who was born in Oxford, and lived here until taking up a place at ballet school, which gives you an inkling into how Dracula is being performed. Choreographer Mark Bruce’s dance company is bringing its ten finest dancers to depict the classic gothic story at the North Wall. So what should we expect? “It’s been very exciting getting involved with developing the story and fleshing out our characters. Mark has a very clear vision of what he wants so it’s pretty dark, with a lot left to the imagination and lots of haze, so it does feel like stepping back in time,” Hannah says.

Having just been nominated for a Sky Arts award, and with talk of extending the tour due to sell out dates, Dracula is already a winner. But has it stayed true to the original book? “People don’t know much about the actual story so we do have quite a lot of artistic licence,”

Hannah, who plays a vampire bride, says. “But we have all fallen in love with the story as we’ve gone along because Dracula is an enigmatic and aloof figure that no one really knows.”

Hannah isn’t only excited about the performance but also about coming home. Born in Oxford’s John Radcliffe, her parents still live in South Moreton where she went to primary school and then Didcot Girls School before winning a place at the esteemed Elmhurst Ballet School in Sussex aged just 13. “They all still live there, and my brother and sister are nearby, so will all be coming along to the North Wall,” she says.

As for being a dancer, Hannah said her parents were still bemused, the rest of the family being much more business minded, but very supportive nonetheless. “Yes it’s been a journey,” she admits, having gone on to train at London’s Contemporary Dance School, completing her master’s degree with distinction. Hannah then joined Richard Alston’s famous dance company in 2007 where she spent seven years thrilling audiences around the world, until Dracula came along, a project that she couldn’t refuse. So a bit of a departure then? “Yes because Dracula is much more theatrical. Contemporary dance is abstract, so I enjoy flitting between the two genres and maybe Mark did a take a leap of faith with me because you do feel like you’re acting all the time. “If you let the character slip you lose the audience, so it is a challenge because you have to portray people physically through the movement.”

It all sounds very serious? “No, because there are some brilliant comic moments which I won’t spoil.

“It’s just great to watch the audience laughing when they least expect it. “But it’s also deeply satisfying to be doing something like Dracula because it’s really brilliant,” the 27 year-old smiles.

No wonder she’s so happy, because when the rest of the cast are settling into their digs, Hannah will be safely snuggled up at home. “I don’t get to see my family enough, but they will all be coming to see the show because they are as intrigued as the next person. “And you never know you are starring in a hit until it is one.”

SEE IT:
Dracula comes to Oxford’s North Wall Arts Centre on Tuesday and Wednesday at 8pm. Call the box office on 01865 319450 or see thenorthwall.com