Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida will stage the South Florida premiere of Dracula, a full-length ballet by Italian choreographer Roberto Forleo, for one night only at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m. The company is inviting the audience to come dressed for the occasion: elegant, Gothic, Victorian or Halloween costumes are encouraged.

The production is drawn from Bram Stoker's novel and tells the story through classical ballet mixed with contemporary movement, with full costumes, stage scenery and its own musical score. The company bills it as a special one-program evening, scheduled for the Halloween season and performed only once.

Who is dancing it

Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida is a professional company based on Biscayne Boulevard in North Miami Beach, just south of Aventura. It has worked under the direction of Vladimir Issaev for nearly three decades, and the 2026 to 2027 lineup is its 29th anniversary season.

Dracula is the second stop of that season. The company opened in October with a mixed program that paired Vicente Nebrada's Pentimento, Spring Waters, Issaev's Four Seasons (originally made for the Mariinsky Theatre) and the company's first staging of the Raymonda Grand Pas. After Halloween, the dancers move on to Issaev's production of The Nutcracker in December, which casts local children alongside the professional company, and a special performance at the Sanctuary of the Arts in Coral Gables in February 2027.

What to know about the costume invitation

The theater sets the rules for anyone who chooses to dress up, and they are specific:

  • Costume masks are not allowed. Face coverings worn for medical or health reasons are fine.
  • No sharp or pointed pieces, no weapons and nothing that could be mistaken for a real weapon. Leave the stake and the cane sword at home.
  • Nothing that drags on the ground, blocks other patrons, or reads as offensive or violent.
  • Venue management has the final say, and guests in a costume that breaks the guidelines can be turned away at the door.

Before the curtain

Every ticket holder can sit in on a free 30-minute pre-show discussion inside the theater, which starts at 7 p.m., half an hour before the performance. A ticket to Dracula is required to attend.

Arts Ballet holds a strict late-seating policy. Anyone who arrives after the 7:30 p.m. start will wait until intermission to be seated, so plan for traffic on Biscayne Boulevard and NE 188th Street on a Thursday evening.

VIP tickets are on sale for this performance. They include seats in the first two rows and one drink voucher per ticket, and VIP holders need to check in before the show to collect those benefits. The company emails its printed program to patrons as a PDF rather than handing out paper copies.

The same stage, two nights later

The arts center stays on a dance schedule through the following weekend. On Saturday, Oct. 24, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m., Córdoba-born flamenco dancer Marta Gálvez performs La Velada, a piece that sets inherited flamenco tradition against her own contemporary approach. Gálvez started training at age 3, holds a degree in Spanish dance, and has performed with the companies of María Pagés, David Coria and Úrsula López, among others. The Provincial Council of Córdoba gave her its Young Flamenco Artists Award in 2023.

The City of Aventura presents La Velada with the nonprofit FUNDarte as part of its FL.Flamencos series, co-presented with the Miami-Dade County Auditorium. Discounted tickets are available for children 14 and under.

A week later, on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 5 p.m., the Aventura Marketing Council holds its 17th annual Young Stars Showcase on the same stage, a concert of young singers from across South Florida. Proceeds go to the council's education foundation, and children 3 and under can get a free lap ticket at the box office.

How to go

Dracula runs one night only: Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., with the free pre-show talk at 7 p.m. The Aventura Arts & Cultural Center is at 3385 NE 188th Street, Aventura, FL 33180.

Tickets are sold through the Aventura Center event page, which links to Ticketmaster, the only authorized seller for the theater. The venue warns that it cannot refund or assist with tickets bought on resale or broker sites. Tickets ordered less than 14 days before a show are held at the box office for pickup.

Free parking is available in the lots beside the theater, in front of the Aventura Community Recreation Center and the Aventura City of Excellence School. Valet is $20 per vehicle. The center sells light snacks, wine, beer, spirits and soft drinks.

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