Embodying the Undead: Milwaukee Ballet’s Eric Figueredo on Becoming Dracula
Ballet and horror have been having a moment. Between recent films featuring dangerous ballerinas and a spike in Halloween-themed works, hair-raising ballet is all the rage. But as a dancer, what does it feel like to embody the undead?
When Eric Figueredo auditioned for Milwaukee Ballet’s second company in 2019, he saw company artists rehearsing artistic director Michael Pink’s Dracula. So when Figueredo, now a main-company artist himself, was cast as the infamous vampire last year, “it felt full circle,” he says.
Here, he takes us through his experience transforming into the one and only Count Dracula.
I was very nervous to be cast as Dracula; it was special to get an opportunity that was so close to my heart. It was also my first time doing a principal role, and it’s—I don’t want to say evil—but [it’s] a sinister character. I’d not danced a role like that before.

Everybody knows Dracula. In some ways, that made it easier to embody his character because we know his story, even outside of ballet. We’ve all probably dressed up as a vampire at some point, for Halloween or whatnot (I used to do that all the time as a kid). But Dracula is not just a vampire. He is the vampire. The king of vampires. I felt a heavier responsibility because the ballet is his story, his name.
In rehearsal, I worked with Denis Malinkine, who was originally cast as Dracula in Michael Pink’s version, and Davit Hovhannisyan, who did it after him. They and Michael gave a lot of notes, and I would look in the mirror more than usual to make sure I got the posture and energy right. In the first scene, when Dracula comes on, he’s weak and needs blood. He looks very old. Michael would be specific on how my hands had to shake. He also wanted me to quiver my mouth from hunger, as if I could smell the blood in Jonathan Harker, a human who visits my castle at the start of the ballet.
I love all of Dracula, but particularly that first scene. It is so specific with the movement. This is how the ballet starts, so there’s a lot of story to be told. I get to be creepier; then, once I’ve had blood, my character is more polite, younger. He turns into a pretty majestic and princely character, with a lifted chest. I’m Brazilian, so I tried to tap into the bolder side of myself for that.

My desire for blood affects the way I interact with each person onstage. It creates a lot of tension. I had to think about that mysteriousness in everything—how I held my cape, how I threw it in the air. (A lot of rehearsal was devoted to figuring out where to keep my feet or how to hold the cape.) And how I glided on the floor; it should feel like floating. Our version doesn’t use costume fangs, but every time I opened my mouth, I had to act as if I did. When you get into it with your face, I think it looks very realistic. I had to let Dracula take control.
Every time Dracula sees a human, it’s like he’s trying to seduce them. I had to build a really strong partnership with my castmates. The role requires this brilliant connection; whatever I did, I’d be staring the other person in the eye intensely. It even became hard to blink sometimes.
I’m a superstitious person, so before every show, I’d sit onstage, surrounded by dry ice, holding a large cross that Dracula begins the ballet with. It was a moment to turn off all the noise and connect with myself, and to tell myself I could do it. After the ballet ended, I’d feel as though I’d forgotten what happened; it was like I’d woken up from a dream. I’d be beyond exhausted. There are so many details to Dracula’s character that I had to be completely in the moment the whole time.
Looking back, I almost feel like I’m a different person after Dracula. I gained a better understanding of my needs as a dancer, and how to really pay attention to the details. Each part of the ballet felt like an achievement. Even though sometimes I have my insecurities, like all dancers have, I feel that in the end I can do anything because I’ve shown myself I can do this.
TIP: “Watch the movie, or read the book! During the first week of rehearsals, I watched Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992). That helped me better understand who Dracula was—that mysterious side of him. He would say a lot of things, but he really wouldn’t say a lot, if you know what I mean. I tried to tap into that onstage.”