Dance Review: Ventana Ballet’s UNDEAD: Haunted House of Dances

Ventana makes ballet accessible with an exhilarating Halloween production

Reviewed by Cat McCarrey, Fri., Nov. 1, 2024

photos by Farid Zarrinabadi

There’s something soft and vulnerable about ballet in an intimate space. It’s such a remote, rarified art form. Many people think of ballet as austere performance. Starched skirts and opera glasses, something to be watched at a distance. But that’s not how Ventana Ballet views it. Led by artistic director, choreographer, and producer AJ Garcia-Rameau, Ventana is revolutionizing the art form, moving ballet out from behind the class curtain and into the realms of mass appeal.

The entire setup of Ventana’s work is designed to make dance immediately, arrestingly accessible. It’s a tangible experience for the viewer. Before their latest show, UNDEAD: Haunted House of Dances, which concludes a weeklong run on Halloween, costumed zombies lurked around the crowd. Yes, partially for a crowdfunding raffle (nothing says “contribute!” like undead eyes staring into your soul), but also to complement the spooky atmosphere at the venue. The Factory on 5th Street, a large warehouse festooned with cobwebs and black foliage, was part stage and part haunted house. Thanks to a long catwalk slashing through the center, almost every seat had front-row access to dances. Dancer entrances cut directly alongside rows of chairs. At one point, I was startled by a werewolf patiently crouched near my seat, waiting for their cue. It created an exhilarating environment, blurring the lines between performers and audience members.

Although UNDEAD really was a simple showcase of artistic talent, a rough storyline did hold the threads together. It followed a human character, the Huntress (Kayla Hoover), as she explored the Undead Woods. She’s immediately marked by Dracula (Navaji David Nava), who bequeaths her a necklace marking her as his. It’s also a slight protection as the Huntress encounters the spooky inhabitants of the forest. Those spotlight numbers were the reason for the season. It’s why the show exists, and is where the performers got to shine.

Ventana Ballet is revolutionizing the art form, moving ballet out from behind the class curtain and into the realms of mass appeal.

In ensemble numbers featuring zombies and bats, dancers flaunted acrobatic contortions. Small group numbers, like sections with demonic dolls and Dracula’s brides, allowed for closer examination of awe-inspiring moves. The choreography in those relied on precision, a level of teamwork that made the numbers all the more memorable. The bride number upped the ante by adding in prop elements, integrating gauzy veils into the steps. The resulting ethereality was breathtaking. One member in particular, Veronica Boccardo, stunned in multiple roles as a demonic doll, zombie, and bat. Boccardo’s ability to be jerkily mechanical as a broken doll, and then selectively limp as a zombie, stood as a testament to dance’s ability to showcase the human body. But when it comes to terrifying, the solo sequences really allowed for horror. Kelsey Oliver’s werewolf absolutely takes the cake, with a physicality that shudders the soul. Oliver managed to make the slightest head quirk animalistic and deeply unsettling. It almost awakens a Neanderthal instinct to flee, but instead leaves the viewer frozen, in awe of what could happen next. That primitive urge is heightened with Oliver’s menacing floorwork, truly inhabiting the feral nature of the werewolf.

Dance numbers were broken up by interludes from Dracula’s witchy ex-wife, played by drag queen Colleen DeForrest. Her magic spells and sassy spider sidekick (Taylor Woolums, with adorable smirks and an inventive costume that made me gasp with the full reveal) kept the momentum moving. DeForrest added bawdy commentary – any and all “adults only” warnings for the performance rest squarely on her shapely shoulders – and two grooving lip syncs that were the cherry on top of an already entertaining evening. It ingeniously broke up the show’s rhythm and actively engaged the audience. Attention can’t wander when a queen is up in your face and stealing your man.

Each vignette showed skill and humor, allowing viewers to viscerally feel the emotion of the dance. After all, it's happening right in front of them. Ventana's next show, The Watchmaker’s Song, premieres this December at the Neill-Cochran House Museum. It's a jazzy take on The Nutcracker, and if it's anything like UNDEAD it's guaranteed to resurrect an often lifeless holiday tradition. Partaking in Ventana's work is like unearthing those good china dishes and letting them be part of your everyday meal routine. The skills and artistry behind ballet don't need the audience to clear any bar or jump through any hoops to be appreciated. Take advantage of their existence.