Kitchener’s Heather Lehan dances on the big screen in ‘Dracula’ – TheRecord.com

WATERLOO REGION Ballet dancer Heather Lehan jumps from the stage to screen in the Northern Ballet production of Dracula.

Lehan, born and raised in Kitchener, is with Northern Ballet, a dance company based in Leeds, England, which staged Dracula last fall.

It was streamed live to paying audiences in the U.K and around Europe at the time.

We had over 10,000 viewers in cinemas, so that was excellent, Lehan said in a telephone interview from her home in Leeds.

The production launched the ballet companys digital platform and the timing could not have been better. The COVID-19 pandemic would arrive a few months later. It was also filmed, and will now be shown around North America in Cineplex Cinemas.

It was a really exciting event for the company, and I am really excited that it will now be available in Canada, said Lehan.

It screens Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in the Cineplex Cinemas at Conestoga Mall in Waterloo, as well as in Guelph. Based on Bram Stokers classic novel Dracula, this ballet was created by David Nixon, artistic director at Northern Ballet. I was first staged in 2005, and this is the third time the company has done it.

It is a narrative ballet, which I think is nice because it is a little more approachable for people who dont have a lot of background knowledge in ballet, said Lehan.

As part of the ensemble, Lehan is wearing a big, white gown in the ball scene. She also dances in two more scenes that include ensemble members.

I am glad it is being show in some cinemas, especially in my home town, which is really nice, said Lehan.

The dancers had to share the stage with camera operators last fall when it was filmed. Some cameras were also placed among the audience. And there was some footage shot backstage as well.

The camera crews were good about giving us lots of space, said Lehan.

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During the lockdown in the first wave of the pandemic Lehan spent her days doing yoga, Pilates and cycling. It was isolating, and she could not visit her family in Kitchener this past summer.

Northern Ballet just resumed live shows in Leeds to paying audiences, which are much smaller because of the need for social distancing.

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Kitchener's Heather Lehan dances on the big screen in 'Dracula' - TheRecord.com